',1 


.1 


1 


il 


NOTE  f  ON  ITALY, 

REMBRANDT  PEALE. 

WRITTEN  DURING  A  TOUR  IN  THE  YEARS 
1829  and  1830. 


CAREY  &  LEA* 
1831. 


EASTERN  DISTRICT  OF  PENNSYLVANIA,  To  wit; 

BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  that  on  the  eleventh  day  of  April,  Anno 
Domini  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-one, 

CAREY  &  LEA, 

of  the  said  district,  have  deposited  in  this  office  the  title  of  a  book,  the 
title  of  which  is  in  the  words  following-,  to  wit: 

"  Notes  on  Italy,  by  Rembrandt  Peak.    Written  durinpr  a  Tour  in  the 
"Years  1829  and  1830." 

The  right  whereof  they  claim  as  proprietors,  in  conformity  with  an  Act 
of  Congress,  entitled,  "  An  Act  to  amend  the  several  Acts  respecting- 
Copy  Rights."  v  8 

D.  CALDWELL, 
Clerk  of  the  District. 


GRIGGS  &  DICKINSON,  FKIXTERS. 


The  following  Remarks  were  written,  immediately  after  the 
observations  were  made,  of  which  they  were  intended  to  be 
the  records,  and  they  possess  at  least  the  merit  of  originality 
and  conciseness.  As  far  as  time  and  occasion  permitted,  I 
examined  whatever  peculiarities  were  of  a  nature  to  excite 
my  attention,  and  I  have  carefully  endeavoured  to  convey  the 
exact  impressions  they  produced,  as  if  the  remarks  had  been 
made  immediately  to  some  friend  who  might  be  amused  with 
my  sentiments  or  disposed  to  rely  on  my  judgment,  general- 
ly expressed  in  the  fewest  words,  and  involving  no  specula- 
tions that  did  not  actually  occur.  Instead  of  a  heated  and 
visionary  series  of  exaggerations  or  quotations  on  affairs  of 
church  and  state,  in  which  I  might  have  indulged  as  many 
preceding  travellers  have  done,  or  affecting  to  be  wise  at  the 
expense  of  other  men's  thoughts,  I  have  preferred  the  simple 
task  of  describing  only  those  things  which  I  saw,  as  they  may 
be  seen  by  other  persons  in  my  situation,  and  have  pretended 
to  no  opinions  or  judgments  but  such  as  forced  themselves 
upon  me. 

■  . 

The  reader,  therefore,  who  is  willing  to  bear  me  company 
in  this  excursion  will  not  object  to  begin  our  acquaintance 
on  the  road ;  to  become  a  little  accustomed  to  my  gait  and 
manner,  and,  perhaps,  to  feel  a  greater  interest  as  he  prose- 


4 


cutes  a  journey  which  he  thus  commences.  If  the  scenes  be 
not  entirely  new  to  him,  he  may  at  least  be  amused  with  my 
first  impressions,  and  the  similitude  or  diversity  of  my  views 
and  judgments,  when  compared  with  those  of  others. 

The  first  Collection  of  Pictures  that  appeared  in  the  United 
States  was  a  consignment  made  to  John  Swanwick,  an  emi- 
nent merchant  of  Philadelphia,  about  the  year  1786.  My 
father,  Charles  W.  Peale,  then  the  only  well  known  artist  in 
the  western  world,  was  the  first  to  build  an  exhibition  room 
expressly  for  paintings.  There  the  Italian  pictures  were  de- 
posited, and  displayed  to  a  public  but  little  prepared  to  ap- 
preciate them;  for  they  were  less  disposed  to  admire  some 
really  excellent  memoranda  of  fine  art  than  to  censure  their 
deep  shadowings.  It  was  probably  this  Collection  that  in- 
spired me,  though  but  a  boy,  with  an  unquenchable  love  of 
painting,  as  it  made  me  first  acquainted  with  the  names  of 
Italian  artists,  and  excited  a  desire  to  visit  Italy. 

Having  studied  the  elements  of  the  art  under  my  father,  I 
went  to  England,  on  the  return  of  peace  in  1802,  with  the 
design  of  visiting  France  and  Italy;  but  the  renewal  of  hos- 
tilities disappointed  my  purpose.  I  received,  however,  some 
advantages  from  the  Royal  Academy  and  the  friendship  of 
Mr.  West,  with  whom  my  father  had  likewise  studied. 

In  1-807  I  again  crossed  the  Atlantic,  but,  occupied  in  Pa- 
ris in  painting  the  portraits  of  distinguished  characters,  I  de- 
layed my  departure  for  Italy,  until  repeated  intelligence  of 
the  disturbed  state  of  that  country,  and  the  return  of  many 
American  travellers  from  its  confines,  rendered  it  imprudent 


5 


to  proceed.  But  I  enjoyed  the  almost  daily  contemplation 
of  the  great  Gallery  of  the  Louvre,  which  Napoleon  was  en- 
riching with  a  selection  of  the  chef  d'oeiwres  of  the  old  mas- 
ters, the  spoils  of  Italy,  Germany  and  Holland. 

On  returning  to  America,  I  flattered  myself  that  I  could  be 
contented  with  what  I  had  seen  of  European  art,  and  the 
prospect  of  that  which  was  arising  in  our  own  country,  where 
the  number  of  excellent  artists,  and  the  patronage  of  them, 
had  much  increased.  But  the  greater  attention  which  was 
now  bestowed  on  this  subject  only  served  to  revive  my  for- 
mer longings,  and  Italy,  which  was  my  reverie  by  day,  be- 
came the  torment  of  my  dreams  at  night:  I,  therefore,  re- 
turned to  Paris  in  1810,  having  made  arrangements  with  my 
father  to  paint,  in  continuation  for  the  Gallery  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Museum,  portraits  of  the  most  distinguished  men  of 
Europe.  This  occupation  detained  me  so  long  in  Paris,  that 
I  was  induced  not  to  expose  my  "family  to  the  horrors  of  ac- 
cumulating war,  and  General  Armstrong,  our  ambassador, 
persuaded  me  to  return  with  him  to  America.  He  coolly 
reasoned  me  into  a  belief  that  I  would  be  contented  with  the 
general  prosperity  enjoyed  in  our  peaceful  country.  But  if 
the  vast  extension  of  our  commerce  and  agriculture,  the  pro- 
lific establishment  of  successful  manufactories,  and  the  rapid 
growth  of  our  cities,  already  in  possession  of  the  knowledge 
and  luxuries  of  Europe;  if  these  prospects  were  calculated 
to  confirm  a  predilection  for  my  native  home,  they  could  not 
allay  the  fever  that  still  burned  as  in  the  ardour  of  my  youth. 
The  idea  that'my  dreams  of  Italy  were  never  to  be  realized, 
seemed  to  darken  the  cloud  which  hung  over  the  prospect  of 
death  itself. 


6 


For  a  number  of  years  the  duties  required  by  a  large  fami- 
ly forbade  a  separation  from  them.  These,  at  length,  per- 
mitted my  wish  to  be  gratified,  especially  as  several  gentlemen 
of  New  York  and  Boston  liberally  patronised  my  plan,  and,  as 
my  only  son  evinced  a  disposition  to  study  the  profession  of  his 
father  and  grandfather.  I  may,  therefore,  well  be  pardoned  for 
seeking  this  enjoyment  at  the  age  of  fifty-one,  particularly  as 
I  made  it  an  essential  point  to  select,  for  the  employment  of 
my  pencil,  some  of  the  most  excellent  pictures  of  the  great 
masters,  which  are  preserved  in  Rome  and  Florence ;  and 
the  copies,  which  I  have  carefully  made,  I  may  without  vani- 
ty consider  as  calculated  to  advance,  among  our  artists  and 
amateurs,  a  correct  knowledge  of  the  Fine  Arts. 

In  noticing  the  works  of  art,  which  always  constitute  the 
chief  objects  of  curiosity  to  travellers  in  Italy,  I  have  endea- 
voured to  avoid  the  tediousness  of  catalogue  quotations  and 
the  prejudices  depending  on  names  of  authority,  which 
would  serve  only  to  prolong  injurious  errors.  But  my  re- 
marks are  not  confined  to  works  of  art,  as  I  could  not  shut 
my  eyes  to  the  scenes  among  which  1  had  to  pass,  being  in- 
fluenced by  a  general  curiosity,  and  a  love  of  all  truth,  as 
well  as  of  all  good  art. 

It  is  scarcely  possible  to  visit  Italy  without  catching  a  little 
of  the  enthusiasm  which  has  inspired  so  many,  by  whom  it 
has  been  already  described;  and  some  persons  are  unwilling 
to  deny  themselves  that  indulgence  of  their  imaginations, 
which  must  influence  them  to  associate  the  interesting  inci- 
dents of  past  times,  with  the  mouldering  monuments  that  re- 
main, as  confirmations  of  history.     The  researches  of  anti- 


7 


quarians  are  not  without  their  utility,  though  not  much  re- 
lished by  the  ordinary  and  unpretending  traveller,  whose 
purpose  is  to  see  things  as  they  now  are,  and  only  to  value 
them  as  they  evince  taste,  talent,  knowledge  and  power.  If 
my  views  are  found  to  be  too  restricted  in  these  respects,  at 
least  I  shall  be  excused  for  not  pretending  to  do  again  what 
has  been,  by  various  travellers,  so  often  well  done,  whether 
their  views  were  directed  by  political,  moral,  or  antiquarian 
notions.  I  am  contented  to  have  made  a  few  notes  of  the 
things  which  I  saw  as  a  transient  observer,  and  to  offer  them, 
incomplete  as  they  certainly  are,  to  the  indulgence  of  the 
candid  reader,  who  may  rely  on  their  sincerity,  as  well  as  on 
their  simplicity  and  general  correctness. 

I  had  taken  with  me  to  Italy  my  portrait  of  Washington, 
which  represents  him  as  seen  through  a  perforated  screen  of 
ornamented  stone  work,  beneath  the  Phidian  head  of  Jupi- 
ter. Unwilling  to  pay  a  duty  on  it  at  Naples,  it  was  held 
a  rigorous  prisoner  in  the  custom-house  during  my  stay 
there,  and  was  liberated  only  after  the  exchange  of  consular 
petitions  and  state  papers.  It  was  better  received  at  Rome, 
where  the  arts  are  more  respected,  and,  in  my  painting  room) 
procured  me  the  advantage  of  an  acquaintance  with  the 
most  distinguished  professors.  Here  the  descendants  of  the 
renowned  champions  of  liberty  beheld  the  Cincinnatus  of 
America,  first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of 
his  countrymen.  The  more  commercial  city  of  Florence  ex- 
acted a  small  duty,  but  ample  recompense  was  made  by  its  ex- 
hibition in  the  Royal  Academy,  where  the  grand  duke  and  his 
court,  followed  by  the  best  informed  of  Florence,  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  the  features  of  him  whom  they  called  the  libe- 


s 


rator  of  America.  Having  repassed  through  Paris  unpacked, 
it  was  again  opened  in  London,  where  it  was  seen  with  some 
interest  by  several  distinguished  artists  and  other  persons.  But 
remaining  here  a  short  time,  it  was  again  committed  to  its 
package,  and  fortunately  has  arrived  with  me  uninjured  to  our 
home.  I  cannot  withhold  this  anecdote  of  a  portrait  which  is 
so  well  known  to  my  countrymen.  Washington  himself,  al- 
though he  was  very  desirous  of  visiting  Europe,  had  denied 
himself  that  gratification,  governed  by  motives  of  the  purest 
patriotism.  Born  on  Washington's  birth  day,  I  had  in  a  mea- 
sure chosen  him  for  my  tutelar  saint,  and  in  my  pilgrimage 
to  Rome,  I  could  not  deny  myself  the  pleasure  of  taking 
with  me  this  memorial  of  that  great  and  good  man.  Had  I 
died  in  Rome,  which  was  nearly  the  case,  this  picture,  ac- 
cording to  custom,  placed  over  my  coffin,  would  have  borne 
evidence  of  the  veneration  which  is  felt  by  every  American 
for  the  father  of  his  country. 

Rembrandt  Peale. 

Philadelphia,  April  8th,  1831. 


NOTES  O  Hi  ITALY, 


Pass  we  the  long-,  unvarying  course — the  track 

Oft  trod,  that  never  leaves  a  trace  behind; 
Pass  we  the  calm,  the  gale,  the  change,  the  tack, 

And  each  well-known  caprice  of  wave  and  wind* 
Pass  we  the  joys  and  sorrows  sailors  find, 

Coop'd  in  their  winged  sea-girt  citadel; 
The  foul,  the  fair,  the  contrary,  the  kind, 

As  breezes  rise  and  fall,  and  billows  swell, 
Till  on  some  jocund  morn — lo,  land!  and  all  is  well. 

BTROX, 


Havre,  November  26,  1828. 

After  the  comparative  stillness  of  our  existence  on  ship- 
board, the  sudden  entrance,  with  several  other  ships,  into 
a  bustling  harbour;  bringing  the  vessels  to  an  anchor  in  a 
narrow  channel;  the  visitation  of  the  health  and  custom 
house  officers;  the  operation  of  hauling  through  the  massive 
gateway  at  high  water  into  the  capacious  basin;  the  crowd 
and  bustle  on  shore;  the  grotesque  figures  of  the  pilots,  with 
woollen  caps  and  loose  petticoat  breeches;  the  women  and 
children  in  caps  of  every  kind,  and  the  clattering  of  their 
wooden  shoes; — all  elicited  the  liveliest  attention. 

Having  engaged  seats  for  Paris,  to  start  early  next  morn- 
ing, the  first  business  was  to  pass  our  trunks  through  the 
custom  house  examination,  which  was  polite,  and  without 
any  scrutiny,  with  only  the  inconvenience  of  waiting,  amidst 
piles  of  baggage  and  groups  of  anxious  passengers,  the  arri- 
val of  the  officer,  and  our  turns  for  inspection.  We  then 
#  2 


10 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


deposited  our  passports  at  the  police  office,  and  obtained 
each  a  provisionary  one  to  Paris.  The  rest  of  the  time 
was  employed  in  taking  a  hasty  view  of  this  old  town,  of 
which  the  most  singular  features  were  the  massive  fortifica- 
tions and  double  ditch,  or  canal,  filled  with  water,  to  protect 
it  on  the  land  side.  Beautiful  rows  of  trees  cover  the  whole 
extent  of  the  elevated  bulwarks,  which  would  form  delight- 
ful promenades  if  they  were  kept  clean.  From  these  walks 
you  look  round  on  a  well-cultivated  country,  and  a  hill  rising 
from  the  city  gate,  covered  with  houses  and  numerous  coun- 
try seats. 

The  market  place  is  filled  with  stalls  loaded  with  the 
finest  fruit  and  vegetables,  and  gay  with  the  flowers  of  au- 
tumn. The  streets,  without  foot  pavements,  and  muddy, 
are  alive  with  a  healthy  and  rosy  population,  clinking  along 
on  their  wooden  shoes,  talking  loud  and  laughing  amidst  the 
screaming  of  numerous  parrots,  whose  cages  are  hung  out 
at  the  shop  doors  and  upper  windows.  Very  few  coaches 
or  carts  are  seen,  and  most  of  the  porterage  is  performed  on 
jack-asses,  or  by  men  and  women  with  hand  carts,  on  which 
they  carry  enormous  loads, — many  of  the  streets  being  so 
narrow  as  not  to  admit  of  any  other  conveyance.  At  one 
of  the  public  fountains  I  counted  fifteen  washerwomen  in 
a  row,  with  benches  upon  which  they  rub  the  clothes, 
and  pound  them  with  wooden  bats. 

We  left  Havre  before  day  lig^ht,  and  therefore  for  some 
hours  did  not  know  the  construction  of  our  vehicle,  in 
which,  however,  we  were  comfortably  seated.  At  day-light 
it  was  found  to  consist  of  a  coach  of  large  dimensions,  one 
of  smaller  size  behind  it,  and  another  in  front  with  side  and 
front  glasses,  on  the  top  of  which  was  a  sort  of  gig  or  chaise; 
the  aggregated  mass  capable  of  containing  about  twenty-one 
passengers.  All  the  baggage  and  much  merchandise  was 
on  the  top,  surrounded  by  an  iron  railing,  and  covered  with 
painted  linen,  under  the  especial  charge  of  a  person  called 
the  conductor,  who  gets  to  his  lofty  seat  by  mounting  on 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


11 


projecting  irons  at  the  left  side  of  the  carriage,  assisted  by 
a  leathern  strap — a  manoeuvre  which  he  performs  with  great 
dexterity,  even  when  the  coach  is  in  motion. 

The  whole  route  between  Havre  and  Rouen  was  interest- 
ing to  us,  chiefly  by  the  singular  and  varied  appearance  of 
the  huts  of  the  peasantry.  They  are  of  all  sizes  and  shapes, 
and  thatched  with  straw,  which  is  mostly  green  with  moss. 
Some  of  the  best  of  these  habitations  were  surrounded  with 
an  embankment,  planted  with  close-set  and  tall  trees,  form- 
ing a  live  fence,  which  often  enclosed  the  dwelling,  out- 
houses, and  hay -stacks. 

Although  it  was  the  latter  part  of  November,  the  fields 
presented  the  appearance  of  spring;  the  grass  and  many 
plants  were  green  along  the  road  side;  and  gardens,  without 
fences  or  hedges,  were  filled  with  cabbages,  lettuce,  and 
flowers. 

On  approaching  Rouen,  a  magnificent  scene  suddenly 
opened  upon  us.  At  a  great  distance  below  lay  an  exten- 
sive city  in  a  verdant  valley.  The  river  Seine,  studded 
with  numerous  islands,  winding  to  a  great  extent,  and  the 
city  rising  on  part  of  the  hill,  which,  on  the  opposite  side, 
corresponded  with  that  from  which  we  were  about  to  de- 
scend by  means  of  a  beautiful  road,  winding  circuitously  to 
lessen  the  steepness  of  the  descent.  After  this  we  rattled 
through  many  streets  filled  with  manufactories,  which  seem 
to  constitute  the  wealth  of  the  place,  and  as  night  came  over 
us  we  entered  the  city,  whose  narrow  streets,  in  imitation 
of  the  fashion  and  splendour  of  the  metropolis,  were  bright 
with  illuminated  shops. 

Deposited  in  the  court  yard  where  the  stages  stop,  with- 
out any  one  to  attend  us,  or  any  means  of  discovering 
where  we  should  procure  a  dinner,  we  had  to  choose  for 
ourselves  one  of  the  many  cards  which  were  eagerly  thrust 
into  our  hands  by  the  boys  of  the  various  hotels,  each  as- 
serted to  be  the  best.  Through  several  miry  streets  we 
were  hurried  on  to  the  Hotel  de  I9 Europe,  and  arrived  just 


12 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


in  time  to  sit  down  to  the  table  d'h£te9  or  ordinary,  with 
all  its  ceremony  and  succession  of  dishes,  which  so  con- 
sumed our  time,  that  we  had  to  leave  the  dessert  and  hurry 
back  to  our  diligence,  or  berline,  as  it  was  called.  Here 
we  were  told,  that  the  coach  had  started  without  us;  and 
the  porters  of  the  hotel  where  we  had  eaten,  together  with 
the  people  of  the  office,  commenced  a  most  vociferous  up- 
roar, crying  out  to  each  other  to  run  after  the  coach,  as  the 
gentlemen  had  paid  for  their  seats  to  Paris;  but,  before  they 
could  decide  which  street  to  take,  or  who  should  go,  it  was 
discovered  to  be  all  a  mistake,  our  coach  standing  quietly 
in  a  dark  corner,  whilst  the  postilion  had  gone  for  his  horses. 
These  little  incidents  are  only  worth  mentioning,  as  they 
show  that  travellers  in  Europe  frequently  suffer  more  ne- 
glect and  inattention  than  are  experienced  in  America. 

Scarcely  had  we  driven  out  of  town,  when  the  conduc- 
tor requested  us  to  get  out  and  walk  in  the  dark,  without 
informing  us  of  the  muddy  condition  of  the  road,  occasioned 
by  a  recent  shower.  But  our  labour  in  trudging  through 
the  mire  up  the  circuitous  road,  which  soon  rose  high  above, 
without  leading  us  far  from  the  city,  wTas  amply  compen- 
sated by  the  prospect  which,  by  the  light  of  the  stars  and 
the  illumination  of  the  town  itself,  was  presented  to  our 
sight,  as  we  frequently  stopped  and  turned  round  to  look 
down  on  the  habitations  of  the  living  below.  In  summer 
and  in  sunshine  it  must  be  an  enchanting  scene.  Of  the 
rest  of  the  way  we  could  see  nothing — riding  all  night, 
dozing,  waking,  and  suffering,  till  day-light  brought  us  to 
the  vicinity  of  Paris. 

Already  at  Neuilly,  we  had  a  foretaste  of  its  magnificence, 
by  the  style  of  building  in  houses  and  bridges,  and  the 
breadth  of  the  main  road,  with  its  double  row  of  great  trees 
on  each  side.  But  when  we  passed  Napoleon's  triumphal 
arch,  and  the  elegant  gateway  into  Paris,  my  fellow  passen- 
gers, none  of  whom  had  ever  been  there,  could  scarcely 
find  terms  to  express  their  astonishment  and  delight. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


13 


I  parted  with  them  in  the  spacious  court  yard  of  the  di- 
ligences, yielded  to  a  porter's  solicitations  to  go  to  the  Ho- 
tel de  Lille,  and  afterwards  took  a  stroll  to  the  magnifi- 
cent palace  of  the  Duke  of  Orleans.  Passing  through  his 
court  yard,  I  entered  the  extensive  arcades  which  surround 
the  garden  of  the  Palais  Royal,  and  again  gazed  with  won- 
der at  the  matchless  circuit  of  shops,  where  every  thing  ele- 
gant, convenient,  or  curious  may  be  procured,  and  visiters 
and  purchasers  of  all  nations  may  be  seen  jostling  together. 
Passing  out  at  the  farther  end,  through  the  Rue  Vivienne, 
rich  in  stores,  and  the  covered  Passage  des  Panorames, 
lined  with  little  shops  for  the  especial  temptation  of  travel- 
lers, into  the  spacious  and  extensive  Boulevards,  where  no- 
ble trees,  elegant  palaces,  rich  equipages,  and  amusements 
and  business  of  every  description,  give  a  character  and 
interest  quite  peculiar  and  really  fascinating.  I  walked  on 
to  the  Place  Vendome,  where  still  stands  the  superb  column 
of  brass  erected  to  the  military  glory  of  Napoleon,  though 
divested  of  its  statue,  which  represented  him  holding  the 
globe  in  his  hand;  and  thence  to  the  great  open  square 
where  the  unfortunate  Louis  was  beheaded,  and  where  now 
a  statue  is  erecting  to  his  memory. 

Here  are  seen,  around  the  palace-like  edifices,  called  the 
Gardes  Meubles,  the  beautiful  stone  bridge,  recently  orna- 
mented with  colossal  statues  of  distinguished  Frenchmen; 
the  delightful  plantation  of  woods  called  the  Elysian  Fields; 
and  the  beautiful  garden  of  the  Palace  of  the  Tuilleries, 
whose  smooth  and  spacious  walks,  close-set  and  towering 
trees,  fountains  and  basins  of  water  with  graceful  swans, 
profusion  of  statuary,  and  parterres  gay  with  the  flowers  of 
the  season,  are  deservedly  the  boast  of  the  Parisians. 


14 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


Paris,  November  29. 

Oh,  but  this  Paris  is  a  muddy  world!  at  least  at  this  sea- 
son, and  for  those  who  hunt  for  places  they  know  not  how 
to  direct  a  coachman  to.  Well  may  the  inhabitants  delight 
in  the  comforts  and  magnificence  of  their  interiors,  and 
glory  in  the  grandeur  of  their  public  works;  and  much  does 
it  need  the  charms  of  social  intercourse,  the  song,  the  dance, 
and,,  above  all,  the  fine  arts,  as  a  recompense  for  such  en- 
durance. 

With  difficulty  the  banker's  residence  is  ascertained — 
No.  14,  Rue  du  Sentier  Montmartre.  The  drivers  of 
the  cabriolets  know  all  the  streets.  The  cabriolets  are  a 
kind  of  chaise  or  gig,  have  better  horses  than  the  ordinary 
hacks,  and  therefore  go  faster;  the  driver  sits  on  the  seat 
with  you,  and  you  confer  with  him,  mount  and  dismount 
with  great  facility.  I  jump  into  one  which  conducts  me 
to  No.  14. — No  such  person  there  as  Hottinguer.  Does 
he  live  in  this  neighbourhood?  The  porter  knows  no 
one  of  the  name.  We  drive  to  No.  14,  Boulevard  Mont- 
rnatre,  and  find  it  an  unfinished  house.  At  length  a  book- 
seller suggests  the  idea  of  an  almanac,  in  which  we  find 
Hottinguer  &  Co.,  No.  20  Rue  du  Sentier.  Again  to 
the  street,  and  three  doors  from  No.  14  lives  M.  Hottin- 
guer. My  draft  is  presented,  but  it  must  be  stamped; 
and  I  am  directed  to  the  public  office,  about  half  a  mile 
off.  Arrived,  1  wait  my  tuna  to  be  served,  and  after  pay- 
ing a  duty  to  the  government  for  the  registry,  return  to 
the  banker,  who  receives  my  bill,  and  will  account  with  me 
next  week.  Thus  commence  the  embarrassments  to  which 
strangers  are  subject  in  a  great  city. 

Now  to  the  Louvre.    Seventeen  years  ago  I  had  seen  it 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


15 


as  established  by  the  munificence  of  Napoleon,  making  Hol- 
land, Germany,  and  Italy  tributary  to  it.  His  bust  no  long- 
er appears  over  the  door  of  entrance, — that  of  Louis  XVIII. 
has  taken  its  place;  and  the  gallery,  although  deprived  of  the 
chef  d'ceuvres  of  Raphael,  Domenichino,  and  others,  has 
lost  none  of  its  general  beauty,  and  still  retains  some  of  its 
most  precious  objects;  while  the  Luxembourg  gallery  has 
yielded  its  treasures  from  the  pencils  of  Rubens  and  Vernet 
to  fill  the  vacancies  occasioned  by  the  restitution  of  those 
works  of  art,  which  were  deemed  too  sacred  to  remain  as  the 
trophies  of  war. 

I  cannot  help  thinking,  as  at  my  former  visit  to  the  Lou- 
vre, that  David's  picture  of  the  Sabines  merited  the  great  de- 
cennial prize  of  ten  thousand  crowns,  rather  than  the  scene 
of  the  Deluge,  by  Girodet,  which  obtained  it,  much  to  the 
chagrin  of  David.  It  must  have  been  the  boldness,  not  to 
call  it  extravagance,  of  the  conception  which  influenced  the 
board  of  artists  who  awarded  the  prize.  In  the  same  man- 
ner is  extravagance  in  acting  preferred  to  that  which  is  natu- 
ral and  chaste;  what  seems  is  praised  beyond  what  really  is 
difficult,  that  is,  to  be  exactly  true  to  nature  and  .  just  ex- 
pression. Girodet's  colouring  is  better  than  David's,  which 
is  much  too  cold  ;  but  the  admiration  of  Girodet's  novelty  is 
passing  away,  and  the  productions  of  David  are  more  and 
more  esteemed  for  their  classic  beauty. 

Few  of  the  works  of  Raphael  remaining  in  the  gallery 
are  worthy  his  great  name;  but  two  or  three  of  Titian's 
possess,  the  richness  and  mastery  of  his  pencil,  as  we  are 
taught  to  conceive  it;  and  none  of  Davinci's  exhibit  any  other 
qualities  to  distinguish  them  than  a  high  finish,  darkness, 
and  a  wretched  expression  of  countenance.  Yet  still  this 
noble  gallery,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  extent,  contains  some  of 
the  richest  treasures  of  art  from  the  Italian,  Flemish,  and 
French  schools. 

In  the  hall  of  the  statues  the  Apollo  Belvedere  has 
left  his  throne  to  Diana  a  la  biche;  and  you  look  round 


16 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


without  finding  the  glorious  group  of  the  Laocoon!  Beau- 
tiful statues,  however,  surround  the  walls,  and  numerous 
additional  apartments  of  surpassing  splendour  swarm  with 
a  marble  population,  that  will  require  many  more  visits  be- 
fore I  can  feel  as  if  I  were  sufficiently  acquainted  with  them. 
The  eye  and  the  imagination  are  overwhelmed  with  the 
vast  display,  and  acknowledge  .the  influence  of  the  colossal 
power,  which  could  create  such  a  spot — could  thus  assemble 
the  monuments  of  so  much  genius  and  art,  and  render  such 
homage  to  the  talents  of  one  class  of  men. 

This  whole  series  of  halls  is  indeed  in  a  style  of  mag- 
nificence surpassing  any  conception  I  could  have  formed 
as  to  what  may  be  effected  in  a  basement  story  by  archi- 
tectural skill,  by  means  of  columns,  pilasters,  arches,  walls 
of  marble  and  porphery,  carved  and  painted  ceilings,  pan- 
nels  of  basso  relievo,  pedestals,  statues,  vases,  candelabra, 
sphinxes,  busts  and  mosaics.  It  possesses  some  of  the  most 
esteemed  statues:  the  fighting  gladiator,  Germanicus,  Cin- 
cinnatus,  the  Venus  Victrix,  &c. 

In  another  quarter  of  the  city  the  Museum  of  Arts  and 
Trades — an  immense  display  of  machines,  models,  and  ma- 
nufactured articles — occupies  the  large  halls,  extensive  cor- 
ridors, and  numerous  chambers  of  an  ancient  monastery, 
together  with  some  additional  buildings,  into  which  you 
ascend  by  a  noble  stone  stairway.  Here  may  be  seen  eve- 
ry variety  of  ploughs,  rakes,  and  harrows;  wheelbarrows, 
carts,  and  wagons;  coffee-mills,  and  grist-mills;  carding,  spin- 
ning, and  weaving  machines, — in  short,  all  the  models  for 
which  patent  rights  are  granted  by  the  government,  as  well 
as  those  which  have  been  executed  to  show  the  state  of  ma- 
nufactures in  France  and  other  countries.  This  valuable, 
interesting,  and  instructive  institution  is  open,  two  or  three 
days  in  the  week,  to  the  public  without  charge. 

From  the  gate  of  St.  Martin,  we  pursued  our  way  on 
tiptoe,  which  is  the  method  practised  by  the  experienced 
Parisians  to  avoid  throwing  up  the  mud  behind  them,  the 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


whole  length  of  one  long  street,  which  terminated  at  the 
river  side  and  near  to  the  cathedral  of  Notre  Dame;  whose 
old  and  grotesque  carvings,  turrets  and  painted  windows,* 
were  deserving  of  more  attention  than  our  time  now  per- 
mitted. The  front,  with  its  square  towers,  which  are  truly 
towering,  being  200  feet  high,  appears  more  modern  than 
the  trussed  body  of  the  Gothic  edifice.  The  grand  cen- 
tral doorway,  large  enough  for  a  castle-loaded  elephant  to 
enter,  was  closed.  I  had  seen  it  open  in  1810,  to  receive 
Napoleon  in  his  coronation  robes,  under  a  canopy  of  gold 
and  velvet,  borne  by  marshals  of  the  empire,  and  accom- 
panied by  tributary  kings.  A  side  door  led  us  into  its  grand 
but  simple  interior.  A  walk  through  its  centre,  under  the 
lofty  roof,  around  the  aisles  and  behind  the  altar,  amidst  a 
multitude  of  pious  women,  could  not  but  inspire  respect 
and  awful  admiration. 

In  our  walk  thence  towards  the  Garden  of  Plants,  we  ob- 
served numbers  of  people  gazing  at  some  workmen,  who, 
though  it  was  Sunday,  were  finishing  a  new  bridge  across 
the  Seine,  suspended  by  wires,  which  were  elevated  mid- 
way by  passing  over  a  handsome  stone  archway  erected  on 
a  pier  foundation  in  the  centre  of  the  river. 

It  was  late  before  we  reached  the  Garden  of  Plants;  and 
as  the  air  was  cool,  most  of  the  wild  beasts  were  shut  up 
from  sight;  but  the  garden  was  gay  with  flowers  and  herb- 
age and  every  species  of  evergreen — especially  the  little 
mounts,  covered  with  trees  and  shubbery.  Again  I  passed 
under  the  magnificent  and  venerable  cedar  of  Lebanon,  in 
whose  great  age  the  additional  growth  of  seventeen  years 
could  not  be  perceived.  From  the  brazen  temple  on  the 
top  of  the  mount,  Paris  was  hid  in  all  its  distant  parts  by 
a  hazy  atmosphere,  which  only  permitted  the  elegant  dome 
of  St.  Genevieve  and  a  few  other  prominent  objects  to  be 
seen.  I  have  been  there  when  the  whole  city  on  one  side 
and  a  highly  cultivated  country  on  the  other,  lighted  by  an 
evening  sun,  formed  a  brilliant  panorama. 

3 


IS 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


A  dinner  at  one  of  the  most  frequented  restaurateurs 
in  the  Palais  Royal  is  quite  an  interesting  scene  to  a 
stranger.  A  splendid  range  of  apartments,  open  into  each 
other  between  columns;  the  walls  are  adorned  with  mir- 
rors and  lighted  by  gas  lamps  suspended  from  the  ceilings, 
and  the  floors  are  covered  with  neat  tables  of  various  sizes, 
to  accommodate  three  hundred  persons  at  once,  in  parties 
from  two  to  twenty  at  a  table.  As  usual,  in  such  places, 
two  female  deities,  selected  for  their  beauty  and  elegantly 
dressed,  preside  at  a  throne-like  counter,  to  make  out  bills 
and  receive  pay;  whilst  the  master  assists  his  numerous 
waiters  in  serving  the  company  with  whatever  articles  may 
be  selected  from  an  extensive  bill  of  fare — from  the  most 
simple  and  cheap  to  the  most  refined  and  costly  dishes — 
and  wines  from  twenty  sous  the  bottle  to  Tokay  at  forty- 
eight  francs.  Here  may  the  bachelor  economise  without 
being  solitary,  and  the  Epicure  and  the  Gourmand  indulge 
their  palates  and  appetites  with  the  utmost  refinement  and 
abundance  of  cookery. 

The  Pasage  des  Panoramas,  contrived  and  in  part  exe- 
cuted by  the  American  Fulton,  to  open  a  short  cut  into 
the  Boulevards,  was  the  first  of  this  species  of  shops  en- 
closed from  the  weather  and  lighted  by  sky-lights.  They 
are  now  numerous  in  various  parts  of  Paris.  That  of  the 
Gallerie  Vivienne,  near  the  Palais  Royal,  is  of  surpassing 
splendour  from  the  style  of  its  architecture; — its  illumina- 
tion at  night  and  the  beauty,  richness,  and  value  of  the  ob- 
jects which  are  exposed  for  sale.  The  gallery  consists  of 
two  passages,  which  run  from  two  streets  at  right  angles,^ 
uniting  in  a  spacious  rotunda,  with  shops  all  round,  having 
in  the  centre  colossal  and  richly  carved  and  bronzed  Can- 
delabra, bearing  a  number  of  great  globes  of  light,  like  a 
constellation  of  moons,  each  being  a  large  globe  of  ground 
glass,  surrounding  an  Argand  or  patent  lamp.  At  the  base 
of  the  Candelabra,  in  the  evening,  six  Italians,  two  women 
and  four  men,  with  rich  and  well  according  voices,  and 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


19 


their  violins,  guitars  and  bass  viols,  execute  a  delightful 
piece  of  music,  during  which  a  few  sous  are  collected.  The 
crowd  is  then  suffered  to  disperse  and  another  soon  assem- 
bles, to  whom  the  box  again  goes  round.  Music  so  cheap 
and  so  excellent  cannot  but  give,  even  to  the  common  peo- 
ple, a  taste  for  its  enjoyment. 

For  many  years  a  temporary  gallery  of  patched  up  shops, 
or  rather  stalls,  connected  the  two  sides  of  the  Palais  Royal 
at  one  end.  These  have  been  removed,  and  a  most  splendid 
gallery  of  stone,  in  the  finest  style  of  architecture,  is  now 
built  in  its  place,  which,  though  not  quite  finished  nor  yet 
occupied  by  shops,  was  just  at  this  time  opened  to  the  pub- 
lic, splendidly  lighted  with  gas  lamps)  having  large  globu- 
lar cut  and  ground  glasses, — the  whole  of  its  wide  and  ex- 
tensive roof  being  glass,  composed  of  3260  large  panes. 
The  bases  of  all  the  windows  and  doors  are  of  polished 
brass,  as  well  as  the  sashes,  with  intermediate  pannels  of 
large  mirrors.  When  filled  with  rich  merchandise  and  ad- 
ditionally lighted  in  the  stores,  it  will  make  a  princely  show 
and  delightful  promenade. 

The  new  bank,  exchange,  and  tribunal  of  commerce,  is 
an  extensive  and  magnificent  quadrangular  structure,  en- 
tirely surrounded  by  columns  with  a  flight  of  steps  the 
whole  breadth  of  the  building.  For  the  erection  of  this 
edifice,  which  now  stands  in  the  centre  of  a  spacious  open 
square,  a  number  of  houses  have  been  removed  and  seve- 
ral streets  obliterated.  Strangers  are  admitted  into  an  im- 
mense gallery  surrounding  the  vast  central  hall  or  exchange, 
into  which,  between  columns,  you  look  down;  or  up  to  the 
sky-lighted  ceiling,  which  scarcely  rises  above  the  cornice. 
It  is  ornamented  with  sixteen  paintings  in  imitation  of 
sculpture  in  basso  relievo,  so  excellent  as  to  produce  a  per- 
fect illusion  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  profusion  of  real 
ornamental  carving.  One  of  the  galleries  at  the  side  has 
a  double  range  of  twenty  columns  through  its  centre  and  a 


20 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


grand  stone  stair-way  rising  to  it.  The  whole  is  warmed 
by  hidden  furnaces,  to  a  summer  temperature. 

The  allegorical  paintings  representing  the  life  of  Mary 
de  Medecis,  executed  by  Rubens  for  the  Luxembourg  gal- 
lery, and  the  series  of  seaports  by  Vernet  being  removed 
to  the  Louvre,  the  galleries  of  the  Luxembourg  palace 
are  filled  with  the  works  of  living  artists  of  the  French 
school,  and  contain  some  splendid,  but  perhaps  rather  too 
splendid  productions: — especially  Guerin's  picture  of  Cain 
after  the  death  of  Abel,  and  of  iEneas  recounting  to  Dido 
the  misfortunes  of  the  city  of  Troy;  and  Horace  Vernet's 
massacre  of  the  Mamelukes  in  the  castle  of  Cairo;  but  es- 
pecially his  rich  and  highly  finished  piece  of  the  battle  of 
Toloza  between  the  Spaniards  and  Moors.  Several  beau- 
tiful statues  decorate  the  halls. 

The  celebrity  of  the  music  and  the  dancing  of  the  grand 
opera,  renders  it  necessary  to  visit  that  immense  temple  of 
gaiety.  Its  style  of  architecture  is  imposing  and  its  carved 
ornaments  and  fluted  columns  are  all  gilt.  About  a  hun- 
dred musicians  fill  the  air,  curdle  the  blood  and  overwhelm 
the  imagination  with  their  stupendous  utterance.  Excel- 
lent as  the  music  is,  there  is  too  much  of  it,  without  a  mo- 
ment's pause  during  each  act.  The  air  should  be  permitted 
to  enjoy  some  calm,  some  moments  of  rest,-— but  musical 
composers  are  impatient  of  applause,  and  dread  the  imputa- 
tion of  want  of  fluency.  It  is  the  same  with  the  dancing — 
it  is  too  continuous,  and  the  difficult  is  applauded  more  than 
the  beautiful. 

Among  the  few  churches  which  I  have  visited,  two,  after 
the  great  cathedral  of  Notre  Dame,  are  most  worthy  of  no- 
tice— those  of  St.  Genevieve  and  St.  Sulpice  Of  the  last 
mentioned,  the  front  consists  of  two  high  towers  connected 
by  two  stories  or  ranges  of  magnificent  and  massive  fluted 
columns,  which  it  is  impossible  to  contemplate  without  an 
emotion  that  belongs  to  sublimity.    The  interior  is  vast, 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


21 


simple  and  beautiful;  decorated  as  usual  with  many  paint- 
ings and  statues;  but  what  is  most  worthy  of  notice  is  the 
sculpture  and  stucco  which  decorate  the  altar  behind  the 
grand  altar.  Above  and  behind  it  is  an  alcove,  with  a  hid- 
den sky-light,  to  illuminate  a  beautiful  statue  of  the  Holy 
Virgin  standing  on  a  large  globe,  and  surrounded  with 
clouds  and  cherubs  which  fill  the  whole  alcove  and  termi- 
nate among  the  columns  on  the  altar.  The  alcove  itself  is 
supported  by  groups  of  rich  columns.  On  turning  your 
back  to  this  alcove,  standing  on  its  steps  and  looking  upon 
the  great  altar,  the  body  of  the  church  and  its  aisles  in  per- 
spective  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  I  have  seen,  from  the 
combined  effect  of  a  small  domed  sky-light,  the  lofty  cir- 
cular arcades,  and  the  extensive  straight  ones  that  skirt  the 
body  of  the  church,  which  is  itself  terminated  by  an  im- 
mense organ  decorated  with  numerous  statues. 

The  beautiful  church  of  St.  Genevieve  during  the  revo- 
lutionary ferment  was  appropriated  to  the  tombs  of  distin- 
guished men  and  was  called  the  Pantheon.  It  is  now  re- 
stored to  the  purposes  of  religion.  It  may  be  called  the 
church  of  columns;  besides  those  of  the  portico,  the  cupo- 
la has  thirty-three  around  it  above  the  roof,  and  the  inside 
of  the  church  in  every  part  is  filled  with  them, — support- 
ing a  great  variety  of  light  arches,  galleries  and  cornices. 
The  magnificent  dome  consists  of  three  cupolas,  one  within 
the  other,  all  built  of  stone,  the  lower  one  with  a  central 
opening,  through  which  you  look  up  to  the  splendid  ceiling 
painted  by  Le  Gros  on  a  surface  of  more  than  3000  square 
feet.  Between  this  and  the  outer  cupola  are  four  beautiful 
stair  cases  which  lead  to  the  top  of  the  dome;  from  which 
you  have  a  most  interesting  view  of  Paris,  at  an  elevation 
of  three  hundred  feet  from  the  base,  which  is  itself  on  very 
high  ground. 

Situated  where  it  is,  in  the  old  part  of  the  city,  and  sur- 
rounded by  ordinary  buildings,  the  front  of  the  Hotel  de 
Ville,  with  its  highly  ornamented  gilt  iron  gate-way  and 


22 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


lofty  steps,  is  worthy  of  notice.  The  great  hall  is  celebrated 
for  its  size,  the  roof  being  supported  by  eolumns  in  the 
centre,  which  divide  it  into  two  parts.  Of  a  sentinel, 
who  was  on  guard  in  this  hall,  I  asked  what  was  the  name 
of  the  building,  but  he  could  not  inform  me,  never  having 
cared  to  learn. 

In  crossing  the  Pont  Neuf,  the  bridge  which  is  the  most 
frequented  thorough-fare  connecting  the  island  of  the  an- 
cient city,  at  its  lower  point,  with  each  side  of  the  river,  I 
beheld  the  same  appearances  as  when  I  had  last  seen  it,  se- 
venteen years  before.  The  same  shopkeepers  seemed  to 
occupy  its  niches  with  their  nicknackeries,  the  same  boot 
cleaners,  calling  themselves  artists,  and  the  same  dog-shear- 
ers, with  their  cages  of  little  lap-dogs  and  cats  for  sale,  ap- 
peared to  be  occupied  at  the  edges  of  the  curbstones.  It  is 
true  I  did  not  precisely  recollect  their  faces,  and  those  of 
seventeen  years  of  age  would  certainly  have  puzzled  me, 
but  I  felt  as  if  I  had  seen  them  only  a  few  months  past, — 
yet,  the  greater  part  of  them  had  passed  away,  and  another 
generation  was  now  before  me!  One  improvement  had 
taken  place: — At  one  side  of  the  centre,  on  the  point  of 
the  Isle,  the  JPlace,  whose  deep  and  solid  foundation  was 
built  by  Napoleon,  was  now  finished;  but,  instead  of  bear- 
ing a  high  granite  obelisk,  an  equestrian  statue  in  bronze 
of  Henry  IV.  has  been  erected  to  commemorate  the  legi- 
timacy of  the  reigning  dynasty.  The  floating  baths  to 
which  you  descend  from  the  bridge  by  commodious  stairs, 
descending  to  the  base  of  this  enormous  foundation,  and 
through  a  beautiful  garden  on  the  point  of  the  Isle,  were 
somewhat  increased  in  size,  splendour  and  commodious  ar- 
rangement; and  the  number  of  similar  establishments  was 
augmented  and  intermingled,  as  usual,  with  towering  piles 
of  charcoal  in  large  flat-bottomed  boats,  and  long  ranges  of 
floating  conveniences  for  washing  and  drying  large  quanti- 
ties of  cloths. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


23 


Notwithstanding  the  many  attractions  and  the  number  of 
objects  that  deserved  attention,  the  lateness  of  the  season 
prevented  my  longer  stay,  and  compelled  me  to  defer  all 
farther  examination  till  my  return  from  Italy,  to  which  I 
was  anxious  to  hasten.  I  therefore  passed  through  the  ce- 
remonies which  are  required  at  the  police  office  before  you 
can  leave  Paris,  and  engaged  a  passage  for  Marseilles  by  the 
way  of  Lyons. 


December  6  th. 

Awakened  before  day  and  conducted  through  the  desert- 
ed streets  to  a  distant  court  yard,  from  which  diligences 
depart  for  all  parts  of  France,  we  took  our  seats  in  one  be- 
longing to  the  establishment  of  Lafitte  Co.,  and  com- 
menced our  journey  to  Lyons.  This  coach  was  marked 
86:  the  number  employed  by  their  contractors  with  the  re- 
quisite horses  and  postilions  must  be  great. 

The  days  being  short  and  cloudy,  afforded  us  little  enjoy- 
ment or  subject  for  remark,  except  that  the  villages  through 
which  we  passed  were  ill  looking  and  dirty;  although  many 
at  a  distance  from  the  road  seemed  to  be,  and  might  have 
been  more  pleasant.  It  was  not  until  we  entered  Burgun- 
dy that  we  saw  any  vineyards; — at  first  only  young  plan- 
tations,— but,  as  we  advanced  to  the  hilly  country  surround- 
ing the  rivers  which  carry  their  waters  to  the  Mediterra- 
nean, they  were  of  larger  growth  and  better  arrangement; 
the  tops  of  every  double  row  of  vines  being  tied  together 
in  arches  about  four  feet  high.  The  habitations  of  the  pea- 
santry, likewise,  indicating  a  better  style  of  living,  though 
far  removed  from  the  comfort  and  cleanliness  to  which  we 
are  accustomed.    It  is  a  matter  of  continual  surprise  to  an 


24 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


American  how  so  vast  a  population,  in  so  rich  and  beauti- 
ful a  country,  can  bear  to  live  unnecessarily  in  the  midst 
of  mud.  The  country  was  in  the' highest  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, and  exhibited  in  December  the  appearance  of  Spring, 
by  various  fields  of  greens,  especially  a  kind  of  turnip,  from 
the  seeds  of  which  we  were  informed,  is  made  an  oil  for 
burning  in  lamps. 

On  arriving  at  a  dirty  little  village,  which  was  as  gay  as 
they  could  make  it  in  celebrating  their  patron,  St.  Antho- 
ny, we  were  struck  with  the  grandeur  of  the  hills,  and  chose 
to  walk  up  the  winding  road.  This,  during  a  course  of 
about  three  miles,  every  moment  brought  to  view,  with  in- 
creasing beauty,  a  magnificent  display  of  mountain  and  val- 
ley, rocks,  villages  and  plantations,  surpassing  any  thing 
we  had  ever  seen. 

A  cold  wind,  drizzling  atmosphere  and  long  dark  nights, 
prevented  our  seeing  a  great  part  of  the  country  between 
this  and  Lyons,  into  which  city  we  rattled  at  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  The  conductor  having  deposited  us  and 
our  trunks  at  the  stage  office,  where  nobody  cared  what 
might  become  of  us,  we  found  our  way  to  a  hotel  some  dis- 
tance off,  and  enjoyed  the  comfort  of  a  bed  to  stretch  out 
our  swollen  legs,  after  the  confinement  of  four  days  and 
nearly  four  nights  in  the  diligence. 


Lyons,  December  \Oth. 

We  attempted  to  walk  on  the  quays,  but  the  excess  of 
mud  rendered  it  a  walk  of  no  pleasure.  The  broad  and 
muddy  stream  flowed  through  the  arches  of  the  bridges, 
like  a  mighty  mill  race;  and  is  so  rapid  that  mills  along  the 
shore  are  worked  by  floating  wheels  which  are  turned  by 
the  current.    These  and  boats  loaded  with  charcoal  and 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


35 


washerwomen,  as  at  Paris,  lined  the  shore.  The  narrow 
streets  of  Lyons  are  paved  with  pebbles,  which  are  painful 
to  the  feet,  there  being  no  footways,  and  at  this  season  so 
very  muddy  as  to  excite  surprise  that  any  one  who  could 
afford  to  get  away  should  consent  to  live  here.  But  we 
are  told  that  summer  amply  compensates  them. 

The  old  cathedral  is  an  interesting  building,  rich  in  win- 
dows of  stained  glass,  and  possessing  some  good  pictures 
without  frames  and  an  excellent  animated  statue  of  St 
John. 

Time  did  not  permit  us  to  visit  the  rooms  devoted  to 
natural  history,  but  we  enjoyed  a  treat  in  the  great  hall 
or  gallery  of  pictures,  in  the  same  building.  This  is  an 
immense  edifice,  constructed  in  the  time  of  Louis  XIV. 
where  a  small  number  of  choice  Nuns,  thirteen  or  four- 
teen, lived  like  queens  in  a  pala.ce.  The  conductor  directed 
our  attention  to  a  number  of  beautiful  pictures,  the  work  of 
Lyonese  artists.  Some  of  exquisite  nature  and  finish  by 
JBiard,  equally  good  in  composition,  drawing,  expression, 
and  colouring;  some  pieces  of  great  beauty  by  a  native  ar- 
tist named  JBonfond,  now  at  Rome — one  by  Dreland,  re- 
presenting eleven  artists  of  Lyons,  all  habited  and  occu- 
pied as  on  a  sketching  excursion,  with  cattle,  &c.  and  a 
beautiful  piece,  representing  Tasso  receiving  a  visit  from 
Montaigne,  with  a  splendid  effect  of  stair  case,  down  which 
the  light  streams.  The  only  work  in  silk  which  we  saw 
in  Lyons  wras  in  this  picture  gallery.  It  is  the  will  of 
Louis  XVI. — a  beautiful  imitation  of  letter  press,  and  was 
entirely  executed  in  the  loom.  Each  specimen,  (one  is 
disposed  to  say  impression,)  costs  about  two  hundred  francs; 
the  machinery  to  produce  it,  12,000.  Here  are  some  ex- 
cellent specimens  of  Mosaic' pavements;  a  vast  quantity  of 
curious  and  beautiful  antiquities;  a  Last  Supper  by  Jouve- 
net;  and  a  rich  and  vigorous  picture  by  Rubens,  of  the  ado- 
ration of  the  Wise  Men.  The  statues  in  bronze  at  the  Ho- 
tel de  Ville,  representing  the  Rhone  and  the  Saone,  are 

4 


26  NOTES  ON  ITALY. 

great  pieces  of  work;  some  parts  of  which  are  good,  but 
too  heavy. 

The  large  open  square  called  the  place  of  Louis  XV. 
with  its  beautiful  bronze  statue,  is  worthy  of  especial  ad- 
miration. The  horse  struck  me  as  being  more  elegant,  spi- 
rited and  natural,  than  any  I  had  seen  in  Paris.  It  is  the 
production  of  a  native  artist. 

In  the  afternoon  we  made  a  random  effort  to  get  on  one 
of  the  eminences  which  rise  out  of  the  city,  themselves 
mostly  covered  with  houses,  and  were  fortunate  in  find- 
ing our  way  up  a  steep  and  singular  street  of  steps,  con- 
sisting of  great  blocks  of  stone;  afterwards  winding  its 
course  between  garden  walls  and  solitary  places,  till  it  led 
us  to  the  burial  ground  of  the  city.  Here  we  might  have 
spent  a  pleasant  and  profitable  afternoon,  had  the  walks 
been  dried  by  a  summer  sun.  Some  of  the  tombs  are  ele- 
gant and  costly  specimens  of  architecture  and  sculpture. 
Many  were  decorated  with  garlands  of  fresh  flowers  and 
evergreens,  others  with  vases  of  artificial  flowers  in  glass 
cases. 

From  a  spot  still  more  elevated,  the  city  below,  the  two 
rivers  uniting,  the  distant  mountains,  the  bridges  and  the 
heights  around  us,  formed  a  spectacle  of  surpassing  beauty 
and  grandeur,  and  made  us  wish  for  the  decoration  which 
summer  must  ■  spread  over  them.  From  this  elevation, 
Mont  Blanc  and  a  long  range  of  the  Alps,  distant  about 
one  hundred  and  forty  miles,  exhibited  an  effect  of  aerial 
persective,  intermingling  with  the  clouds  and  illuminated 
by  the  setting  sun,  such  as  I  had  never  seen  and  could  not 
have  imagined. 

Descending  by  the  step-formed  narrow  streets  which  led 
into  the  busy  parts  of  the  city,  every  house,  up  to  its  fifth 
story,  sent  out  the  echoes  of  the  shuttle,  rattling  through 
many  an  old  window,  the  glass  of  which  was  replaced  with 
paper. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


27 


December  Wth. 

Leaving  Lyons  two  hours  before  daylight,  and  travelling 
the  whole  of  the  two  following  nights,  left  us  little  to  see 
during  the  short  period  of  daylight.  We  possibly  might 
have  passed  through  some  decent  villages  in  the  night  time, 
but  none  of  those  which  we  saw  exhibited  any  signs  of 
cleanliness  or  beauty  till  we  approached  Marseilles. 

From  Lyons  we  continued  a  long  way  on  the  border  of 
the  rapid  Rhone,  upon  which  we  saw  but  one  vessel,  whilst 
the  road  presented  a  constant  succession  of  wagons.  Such 
a  stream  in  America,  between  two  great  cities,  would  be 
covered  with  steam-boats.  It  is  contemplated  to  establish 
one  here.  The  road,  as  we  advanced  to  the  south,  passed 
through  more  abundant  vineyards  and  the  verdure  of  the 
fields  was  more  extensive;  almost  the  whole  course  being 
through  a  valley  bounded  on  each  side  by  high  mountains, 
some  miles  distant.  We  remarked  along  the  road,  vast  or- 
chards of  mulberry  trees,  for  the  support  of  silk  worms; 
tributary  to  the  great  manufactories  of  silk  at  Lyons. 

On  reaching  Avignon,  its  ancient  and  noble  wall,  with 
its  alcove  cornice,  parapets,  towers,  buttresses  and  gate- 
ways, produced  a  lively  impression  on  us,  being  the  first 
objects  of  the  kind  which  we  have  seen;  but  it  was  nearly 
dark  as  we  entered  the  gateway,  advancing  only  a  few  paces 
to  an  inn  where  we  took  a  hasty  meal,  without  a  minute  to 
look  farther  into  this  ancient  residence  of  the  popes,  and 
returning  as  we  went,  we  could,  by  the  light  of  a  young 
moon,  merely  again  see  the  wall  around  which  we  drove, 
amidst  a  fine  public  promenade  near  the  river. 

I  was  somewhat  amused  in  passing  through  the  village  of 
Vienne  before  reaching  Orange,  and  on  our  way  to  Avignon, 


28 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


in  listening  to  the  enthusiastic  recitals  of  an  antiquarian, 
who  was  in  the  diligence  with  us,  of  the  vast  number  of  Ro- 
man antiquities  which  had  been  dug  up  in  the  fields  here- 
abouts; coins,  medals,  vases,  statues,  columns: — pointing 
out  to  us  where  there  had  been  an  aqueduct,  fragments  of 
antique  walls  incorporated  with  modern  buildings,  and  an 
old  ruined  bridge  of  unquestioned  Roman  workmanship. 
He  had,  however,  by  judicious  purchases  and  fortunate  sales, 
made  a  considerable  profit  by  means  of  these  relics;  and 
was  probably  sincere  in  his  respect  for  them.  A  plain 
ploughed  field  particularly  delighted  him,  as  many  antiqui- 
ties had  been  found  there,  and  he  had  no  doubt  it  was  still 
rich  below  its  surface,  with  precious  remains,  totally  disre- 
garded by  the  peasants  who  trod  over  it,  as  well  as  by  its 
incurious  owner. 

At  the  entrance  of  Orange  our  attention  was  invited  to 
a  beautifully  proportioned  Triumphal  Arch,  left  by  the 
Romans,  and  a  good  deal  injured  by  time;  yet  now  under- 
going an  entire  repair,  by  the  restoration  of  new  columns, 
and  portions  of  the  cornice,  and  scraping  all  the  old  parts. 
This  meddling  with  the  sacred  remains  of  antiquity  was 
quite  offensive  to  the  antiquarian  taste  of  my  stage  compa- 
nion, who  preferred  to  see  them,  dark  and  moss  covered, 
with  all  the  picturesque  dilapidations  of  time.  We  saw 
nothing  else  in  Orange  but  the  remains  of  some  old  walls 
and  towers  to  indicate  this  favourite  residence  of  the  an- 
cient Romans. 

The  vineyards  now  appeared  of  larger  growth,  and  plan- 
tations of  olive  trees  covered  the  summits  and  sides  of  the 
hills — willow  trees,  poplars,  and  even  the  elm,  showed  a 
large  remnant  of  their  summer  clothing — the  grass  was 
green  and  long  at  the  sides  of  the  roads,  and  the  gardens 
and  ditches  were  gay  with  flowers.  A  wintry  wind,  which 
had  chilled  us  after  leaving  Lyons,  had  died  away — and 
before  we  saw  Marseilles,  we  were  in  a  new  atmosphere. 
The  roofs  of  the  houses  were  flatter  in  their  construction, 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


29 


as  we  were  leaving  the  regions  of  snow;  and  the  costume 
of  the  women,  showed  that  we  were  getting  among  ano- 
ther people.  To  the  caps,  which  were  common  after  leav- 
ing Paris,  was  added  a  small  article  of  black  silk,  in  size 
and  shape  resembling  a  breakfast  plate,  stuck  on  the  top 
of  the  head.  In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Marseilles,  the 
women  appeared  in  black  hats,  with  small  round  crowns 
and  broad  rims. 

As  we  approached  Marseilles,  the  buildings  to  accommo- 
date the  farmers  were  more  respectable  and  comfortable, 
and  more  frequently  to  be  seen  on  the  lands  which  were 
cultivated.  Hitherto  we  had  in  general  found  the  cultiva- 
tors collected  together  in  villages  which  were  disgustingly 
filthy. 

Throughout  the  whole  route  we  remarked  quantities  of 
Lombardy  poplars,  planted  very  close  together  in  rows  so 
as  to  form  hedges,  having  the  branches  cut  off  at  both  sides 
and  growing  to  their  full  height. 

The  elevated  ground  we  had  gradually  been  attaining, 
at  the  distance  of  five  miles  from  Marseilles,  brought  us 
suddenly  in  sight  of  the  city,  which,  from  its  size,  and  the 
quantity  of  country  residences  spreading  to  the  bases  of 
the  rocky  mountains,  that  surround  it  to  the  north  and 
east,  was  itself  very  beautiful;  but  as  the  morning  "mist, 
which  had  left  the  land,  was  just  at  that  moment  rising 
from  the  water,  the  Mediterranean  sea,  now  for  the  first 
time  seen,  after  thirty-five  years  of  desire,  produced  a  sin- 
gular sensation  of  pleasure;  the  more  so,  as  it  appeared  in 
its  proper  character,  calm  and  brilliant  under  a  mild  at- 
mosphere and  soft  blue  sky,  with  light  and  stationary  clouds. 
The  groves  of  olive  trees  were  more  abundant  and  of  larger 
growth,  and  rows  of  cypress  and  cedar  added  to  the  sem- 
blance of  summer. 


30  NOTES  ON  ITALY. 

From  the  time  we  arrived  at  Havre,  the  atmosphere  had 
been  constantly  damp  and  the  road  muddy;  but  as  we  ap- 
proached the  Mediterranean,  all  was  dry,  the  sky  serene, 
and  the  sun  comfortably  warm. 


Marseilles,  Dec.  13th. 

From  the  high  grounds  which  give  you  the  first  sight  of 
Marseilles,  the  postillion  seems  disposed  to  compensate  for 
past  slowness  by  an  exhilarating  speed  down  a  fine  road 
which  leads  to  a  magnificent  arch  of  gray  stone,  erected  to 
celebrate  some  royal  visit,  and  now  finishing  as  the  grand 
entrance  to  the  city.  It  is  in  the  style  of  the  ancient  Ro- 
man triumphal  arches,  and  is  richly  ornamented.  This 
soon  conducts  you  to  the  best  portion  of  the  city,  where 
the  streets  are  wide,  straight,  and  well  paved  with  flat 
stones,  the  houses  handsome,  and  the  numerous  public 
walks  ornamented  with  columns,  fountains,  and  rows  of 
lofty  spreading  elms. 

These  modern  improvements  contrast  widely  with  the 
older  parts  of  the  city,  whose  narrow,  crooked  and  muddy 
streets  you  can  scarcely  believe  could  ever  have  been  in- 
habited by  people  of  the  best  taste  and  greatest  opulence; 
but  that  you  are  convinced  it  was  so,  from  the  costly  style 
of  those  ancient  residences,  now  prostituted  to  the  uses  of 
the  lowest  dregs  of  the  people. — The  streets  are  generally 
furnished  with  side  walks,  which,  however,  are  usually 
paved  with  rough  blocks  of  stones;  but  in  most  parts  the 
middle  of  the  streets  is  preferred  to  walk  in  from  being 
more  worn,  and  therefore  more  even,  and  from  the  little 
interruption  occasioned  by  few  carriages. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


31 


To  obtain  a  general  idea  of  the  situation  of  the  city, 
strangers  are  recommended  to  an  old  fortress  on  the  sum- 
mit of  a  mountain  of  white  rock  or  marble,  which  rises 
out  of  the  city  towards  the  sea.  The  view  from  this  spot 
is  of  great  extent  and  grandeur,  showing  the  Mediterra- 
nean to  the  west  and  south,  smooth  and  level  as  an  inland 
lake,  with  a  long  line  of  indented  rocky  coast,  a  spacious 
outer  bay,  with  its  rocky  isles,  and  a  great  oblong  square 
inlet  which  constitutes  the  singular  and  beautiful  harbour 
of  Marseilles,  walled  up  with  regular  masonry,  surround- 
ed with  warehouses  and  shops,  and  filled  with  shipping. 
On  this  fortress,  which  is  curious  from  its  massive  walls, 
turrets  and  parapets,  unaltered  for  ages,  are  stationed  signal 
poles  and  telegraphs.  Here  is  a  curious  subterranean  cha- 
pel, dedicated  to  the  Virgin,  where  prayers  are  especially 
offered  for  the  protection  of  seamen.  It  is  filled  with  vo- 
tive offerings  for  their  safe  return,  consisting  of  pictures, 
models  of  ships,  &c.  A  story  is  told  of  an  old  woman, 
who,  her  son  being  long  at  sea,  prayed  here  in  vain  for  his 
return.  At  length,  impatient  of  the  delay,  she  secretly 
bore  away  the  image  of  the  Virgin  from  the  little  chapel, 
probably  with  the  view  of  coercing  her  by  constant  impor- 
tunity. After  some  months,  when  her  son  fortunately  re- 
turned home,  the  image  was  found  restored  to  its  place, 
and  the  author  of  its  removal  only  suspected  from  the  co- 
incidence of  circumstances. 

Our  ascent  was  up  a  wide  paved  road,  which  was  fa- 
shioned somewhat  like  broad  steps,  and  our  descent  in  ano- 
ther direction  by  a  beautiful  winding  pathway,  ornamented 
with  shrubs  and  flowers,  as  a  promenade  for  the  citizens, 
connected  with  a  long  straight  street,  decorated  with  trees 
and  handsome  buildings. 

The  quays,  which  are  wide,  and  paved  with  large  flat 
stones,  were  filled  with  a  swarm  of  people  of  all  nations. 
The  greater  part,  however,  are  natives  of  dark  complexions 
and  coarse  features,  both  men  and  women;  ragged,  patched, 


32 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


and  dirty,  but  indulging  in  much  broad  garrulity  and  good 
humour,  apparently  contented  with  their  condition.  The 
quay  is  broadest  in  front  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  and  is  the 
chief  rendezvous  of  merchants.  Here  terminates  the  walk 
of  the  fashionables,  intermingling,  in  the  true  spirit  of 
commerce,  with  all  the  rest  of  the  world. 

A  number  of  Greeks  are  seen  walking  on  the  quays, 
some  of  whom  are  very  splendidly  dressed  in  rich  cloths 
and  silks — always  wearing  white  turbans  over  an  interior 
crown-piece  of  red.  They  all  have  mustachios,  and  are 
of  very  various  expressions  of  countenance  and  feature. 
Those  of  the  poorest  class  wear  slippers,  but  no  stockings. 

Sunday  we  were  invited  to  attend  service  at  an  Episco- 
pal church,  recently  built,  in  which  the  congregation  is  ac- 
commodated with  benches  to  sit  on,  and  boards  to  keep 
their  feet  from  the  cold  stone  floor.  A  Swiss  congregation 
of  Protestants  attend  at  a  subsequent  hour  in  the  same 
place. 

From  this  neat  modern  building  we  visited  the  Cathe- 
dral, which  never  by  its  external  deformity  would  have  in- 
vited our  attention,  or  raised  a  suspicion  that  it  owned  so 
pompous  a  title.  Altered  from  some  old  Roman  building, 
with  irregular  additions  from  time  to  time,  it  has  scarcely 
the  appearance  of  a  church  outside;  and  within  we  found 
it  composed  of  various  recesses  for  altars  of  little  interest, 
pictures  of  no  beauty,  and  architecture  of  no  taste  or  cha- 
racter. But  the  great  organ  is  a  curiosity  worth  seeing. 
It  is  profusely  ornamented  with  sculptured  figures  and 
other  carvings,  in  walnut  and  oak,  and  was  probably  the 
ne  plus  ultra  of  the  art  as  it  existed  at  Brussels  in  1637. 
It  is  said  to  be  a  \nery  fine  instrument — but  it  was  silent 
when  we  saw  it.  * 

The  Museum,  or  Gallery  of  the  Arts,  which  is  open  to 
the  public,  possesses  some  specimens  of  ancient  Greek  and 
Roman  remains,  plaister  casts  of  antique  statues,  and  a 
number  of  very  bad  pictures,  among  which  a  few  very 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


33 


good  ones  may  be  selected — One  by  Vien9  of  Christ  heal- 
ing the  sick  and  the  lame;  a  Madonna,  by  Guido;  a  Boar 
hunt,  by  Rubens,  and  a  few  others. 

At  the  Institution  of  the  Board  of  Health,  I  was  much 
pleased  with  David's  picture  of  the  Pestilence  of  Marseilles, 
which  he  painted  at  Rome  for  this  his  native  city,  in  a  bet- 
ter style  of  colouring  and  composition  than  he  afterwards 
practised.  Gerard's  picture,  representing  Marseilles'  good 
Bishop  relieving  the  sufferers  in  the  same  pestilence,  is  in- 
tended for  a  companion  to  decorate  the  same  chamber.  As 
he  only  charges  six  thousand  francs  for  it,  the  board  have 
determined  to  give  him  a  splendid  silver  vase,  the  design 
for  which  was  shown  to  me.  It  is  about  16  or  18  inches 
high,  of  beautiful  proportion,  and  ornamented  with  figures 
in  relief. 

The  buildings  in  which  the  Board  of  Health  presides, 
under  a  great  fortress,  occupy  the  entrance  of  the  harbour 
on  one  side,  in  front  of  which,  at  anchor,  lie  the  vessels 
under  quarantine.  On  the  opposite  side  are  the  ruinous 
fortifications  of  St.  Nicholas— -Fort  within  fort,  bastion 
over  bastion,  to  a  surprising  extent;  but  dilapidated  during 
the  Revolution,  and  now  only  occupied  as  barracks.  A 
walk  on  the  promontory  beyond  this  gave  us  a  fine  view  of 
the  bay  and  the  islands,  between  which  are  stationed  such 
vessels  as  are  compelled  to  perform  a  more  rigid  qua- 
rantine. 

Three  quarters  of  an  hour's  ride,  took  us  to  the  Chateau 
Borelli,  to  visit  which,  it  was  necessary  to  procure  a  tic- 
ket— the  proprietor  at  present  residing  at  Paris.  It  is  a 
peculiarity  in  the  environs  of  Marseilles,  unfavourable  to 
the  pedestrian,  that  the  roads  are  lined  on  each  side  with 
stone  walls,  with  but  few  openings  through  which  to  see 
either  the  gardens  or  country.  We  could  scarcely  look 
over  them  from  our  carriage.  The  entrance  to  Borelli 
through  its  gateway,  over  its  broad  terrace,  past  its  ever- 
green woods  and  pond  with  living  swans,  to  this  little  pa- 

5 


34 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


lace  of  gray  stone  and  simple  but  handsome  architecture. 
All  are  in  accordance  with  the  rank  of  its  owner  as  a  peer 
of  France. 

The  whole  stairway,  ceilings,  halls  and  chambers  .are  or- 
namented with  architectural  and  other  paintings,  basso  re- 
lievos, &c.  executed  by  Chat,  of  Marseilles,  who  received, 
instead  of  a  fixed  sum,  for  his  labour,  a  pension  for  life  of 
three  hundred  and  sixty  dollars  per  annum.  He  died  late- 
ly at  Paris  at  a  very  advanced  age. 

A  fine  bronze  gladiator  stands  in  the  hall,  besides  other 
pieces  of  sculpture.  A  large  room,  contains  fourteen  pic- 
tures, comprising  the  history  of  Tobit,  painted  by  Paro- 
cel,  in  which  1  found  some  agreeable  composition  and 
colouring.  In  another  room  was  a  large  picture  by  Pietro 
de  Cortina,  of  the  Rape  of  the  Sabines — rich  and  ani- 
mated. In  the  upper  hall  the  Plague  of  Marseilles,  paint- 
ed by  Jean  de  Troy,  is  a  large,  spirited,  and  warmly  co- 
loured composition. 

In  extensive  suits  of  rooms,  which  are  elegantly  orna- 
mented with  pictures,  are  some  by  Mignard,  Teniers, 
Rembrandt,  Vernet,  Puset,  &c.  But  the  picture  most 
valued,  is  a  small  altar  piece,  in  a  little  chapel,  in  a  wing 
of  the  building.  It  is  a  holy  family  by  Andrea  del  Sarto. 
The  sky  light,  by  which  it  was  seen,  was  rather  dim,  but 
I  did  not  hesitate  to  acknowledge  that  it  is  a  more  beauti- 
ful than  any  by  the  same  artist  which  are  at  present  in  the 
Louvre.  In  front  of  the  altar  is  a  most  exquisite  piece  of 
Sculpture,  in  alto  relievo,  by  Fillippo  Valle.  Four  basso 
relievos  over  the  doors  representing  the  life  of  St.  Louis 
by  Fonco,  and  four  beautiful  little  cherubs,  supporting  ba- 
sins of  holy  water,  besides  two  good  paintings  on  the  side 
walls,  which  are  of  rich  marble — complete  its  decoration. 
If  only  two  objects  were  to  be  selected  by  the  visiter  to 
Marseilles,  the  panoramic  view  from  the  elevated  fortress, 
and  this  chateau,  with  its  precious  little  chapel,  should  be 
chosen. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


35 


During  our  ride  to  Borelli,  I  remarked  effects  of  atmos- 
phere, such  as  I  had  never  seen  in  nature  before,  but  re- 
cognised as  true  in  the  pictures  of  Claude  and  Vernet — a 
hazy  horizon— masses  of  mountains  resembling  clouds  in 
colour,  pale  and  gray — the  front  objects  more  and  more  dis- 
tinct— and  all  this  without  the  disagreeable  sensation  of 
fog  or  dampness.  The  branches  of  the  trees  here  are  not 
covered  with  green  moss  as  they  are  between  Havre  and  * 
Lyons,  the  shapes  are  less  wild  and  fantastic,  and  the  gar- 
dens exhibit  the  same  style  of  cultivation  as  with  us  in  the 
summer. 

The  Hotel  de  Ville,  designed  and  executed  by  Puget, 
who,  as  sculptor,  painter  and  architect,  is  the  boast  of  Mar- 
seilles, is  now  a  respectable,  and  must  formerly  have  been 
considered  a  magnificent  edifice,  when  the  prevailing  taste 
was  not  to  be  surfeited  with  a  profusion  of  sculpture  and 
ornaments.  The  great  stairway,  leading  to  the  rooms  of 
the  City  Councils,  is  a  noble  structure  of  white  marble, 
ornamented  with  a  statue  of  the  Liberator,  grasping  an 
iron  sword. 

In  the  great  hall  are  two  pictures,  both  representing  the 
memorable  pestilence  of  1720,  when  50,000  persons,  out 
of  a  population  of  90,000,  perished  by  disease  and  want. 
The  pictures  were  painted  five  years  after  the  event,  by 
Puget,  who  was  an  eye  witness  of  the  distressing  scenes, 
in  representing  which  he  appears  to  have  displayed  his  ut- 
most talent.  The  good  Bishop  de  Belsunse,  magistrates, 
and  other  pious  persons,  are  represented  performing  the 
last  offices  of  kindness  to  the  sick  and  dying,  in  all  imagi- 
nable situations,  amid  the  putrifying  carcasses  of  their  friends 
and  fellow  citizens.  It  is  an  awful  and  most  distressing 
scene,  and  appears  to  be  the  only  historical  subject  chosen 
by  the  artists  of  Marseilles,  or  paid  for  by  the  public  au- 
thorities. 

In  the  mayor's  room  is  a  whole  length  portrait  of  Louis 
XIV.  » by  Mignard,  with  a  sad  distressed  countenance; 


36 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


Louis  XVIII.  and  the  Duchess  de  Berri,  by  Gerard;  and 
the  good  Bishop  de  Belsunse,  by  Langlois,  with  pestilence 
again  in  the  back  ground — a  good  and  animated  picture. 

The  Marsellois  attach  great  interest  to 'four  portraits 
painted  by  Mademoiselle  Duparc,  a  peasant  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood, who,  about  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  years 
ago,  without  the  advantages  of  instruction,  painted  the  like- 
nesses of  herself,  her  sister,  father  and  mother,  which  at 
her  death  she  bequeathed  to  the  city,  and  which  are  pre- 
served in  an  adjoining  room  as  a  testimonial  of  extraordi- 
nary talent  in  humble  life. 

In  the  harbour  here  we  see,  for  the  first  time,  those  ves- 
sels peculiar  to  the  Mediterranean,  with  two  masts  and 
great  oblique  yards,  which  it  is  said,  are  managed  more 
quickly  than  ours  to  suit  the  sudden  changes  of  wind  which 
occur  during  winter. 

The  vessels  in  the  harbour  are  all  moored  in  rows,  side 
by  side,  with  their  bows  towards  the  quay  or  wharf,  which 
runs  in  a  straight  unbroken  line,  so  that  boats  are  required 
to  approach  the  vessels.  The  middle  of  the  basin  is  an  un- 
interrupted sheet  of  smooth  water,  over  which  the  expert 
boatmen,  from  their  station  at  the  head  of  the  quay,  are 
ready  in  light  boats  with  cushioned  seats,  for  a  sous  or  two, 
to  take  you  to  any  ship  or  part  of  the  dock  below.  It  is 
not  uncommon  to  see  boats  managed  entirely  by  women 
and  even  by  very  little  girls. 

But  there  cannot  be  a  better  proof  of  the  general  mild- 
ness and  certainty  of  fair  weather  here,  than  the  number 
of  tinmen,  workers  in  sheet  iron,  cobblers,  &c.  who  have 
at  once  their  stalls  and  work  benches  in  the  open  streets, 
without  any  covering — the  most  industrious  working  with 
their  backs  to  the  passing  throng.  Multitudes  of  women, 
likewise,  go  without  bonnets;  although  some,  in  the  style 
of  the  neighbouring  peasantry,  wear  over  their  caps  a  wool- 
len hat,  like  a  man's,  with  small  crown  and  large  rim. 

At  the  moment  of  my  making  these  remarks  on  the  mild- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


37 


ness  of  the  climate  I  cannot  forbear  mentioning,  that  oppo- 
site my  window,  on  a  tiled  roof,  reclining  in  a  snug  corner 
against  a  chimney,  is  a  stout  hearty  man,  with  his  blacking 
pot  and  shoe  brushes,  dozing  and  basking  in  the  sun,  en- 
joying, in  luxurious  solitude,  a  respite  from  his  labour. 

I  have  remarked  but  few  carriages  in  use,  either  public 
or  private.  Almost  every  thing  is  carried  about  the  city 
on  asses;  even  firewood,  which,  in  long  branches  trailing 
the  ground,  rests  on  each  side  of  the  animal,  supported  upon 
wooden  trusses  or  hooks. 

Enormous  loads  of  baggage  and  merchandise  are  carried 
about  the  city  by  men.  A  rope  passes  under  the  goods  and 
is  tied  to  a  stick,  which  is  supported  between  two  men,  the 
goods  being  raised  very  little  above  the  ground. 

A  fashion  prevails  among  the  carters  to  curry  the  hair  of 
their  horses  in  a  straight  line  from  their  ears  to  the  shoul- 
ders above  the  joint,  and  along  the  flanks  to  the  tail;  so  that 
all  the  back  and  sides  are  smooth,  whilst  the  lower  parts 
are  shaggy. 

Abundance  of  fruit  is  to  be  had  here,  and  grapes  of  a  fine 
quality  at  three  sous  a  pound — every  thing  being  sold  by 
weight,  even  apples  and  potatoes.  Immense  quantities  of 
chesnuts  are  seen  in  every  street,  and  wagon  loads  of  them 
are  piled  up  in  stores  and  even  in  the  streets,  upon  one  of 
which  I  observed  an  old  woman  who  had  them  for  sale, 
stretched  out  asleep,  high  and  dry,  as  on  a  great  bank. 

A  species  of  echinus  or  sea-egg,  covered  with  brown 
spikes  are  sold  at  the  fruit  stalls.  They  are  cut  open  with 
scissars  and  spread  out,  exposing  a  delicate  looking  red  flesh, 
which  I  had  not  the  curiosity  to  taste. 

Vine  trimmings  are  so  abundant  that  large  quantities  of 
them,  tied  up  in  bundles  like  fagots,  are  sold  very  cheap 
to  kindle  fires.    They  produce  a  quick  and  lively  flame. 


38 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


December  1 3th. 

We  had  taken  our  seats  to  go  by  Aix  to  Nice  and  Genoa, 
but  suddenly  concluded  to  take  passage  in  a  Neapolitan  ship 
which  is  to  sail  in  a  few  days  for  Naples,  rather  than  en- 
counter the  fatigue  of  travelling  by  land  at  a  season  so  un- 
favourable to  the  enjoyment  of  landscape  scenery.  A  few 
weeks  earlier  this  route  would  not  have  been  chosen,  as 
the  Algerines  were  at  war  with  Naples,  and  still  are  with 
France. 

•In  Marseilles  and  its  neighbourhood  we  saw,  for  the  first 
time,  herds  of  goats — though  neither  the  goat  herds  nor 
the  shepherds  we  have  yet  met  with,  at  all  resemble  the 
interesting  creatures  of  the  novelists. 

Marseilles  being  celebrated  for  its  soap,  it  was  desirable 
to  visit  one  of  the  many  extensive  manufactories  of  an  ar- 
ticle which  is  taken  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  On  enter- 
ing it,  instead  of  the  offensive  odour  which  always  prevails 
in  such  establishments  in  America,  where  tallow  with  pu- 
trid matter  is  often  employed,  I  was  surprised  by  quite 
an  agreeable  perfume;  instead  of  tallow,  nothing  but  sweet 
olive  oil  being  employed,  combined  with  barilla.  Even 
the  soap  itself,  in  quantities,  has  but  a  slight  and  not  disa- 
greeable odour,  especially  in  such  vast  halls  as  those  in 
which  the  work  is  carried  on.  Beneath  the  pavement  are 
capacious  cisterns,  holding  thousands  of  barrels  of  oil,  from 
which  it  is  pumped  up  as  it  is  required,  to  be  mixed  with 
the  barilla  in  ranges  of  square  boilers  along  the  wall,  and 
afterwards  conveyed  to  capacious  circular  brick  boilers  for 
concentration;  then  spread  out  in  extensive  shallow  vats  to 
harden.  It  is  afterwards  cut  into  great  square  blocks,  like 
building  stones,  before  it  is  taken  into  the  upper  rooms,  to 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


39 


be  weighed  and  cut  into  smaller  blocks,  then  stamped  and 
packed  up.  It  is  curious  to  see  masses  of  soap  cut  so  quick- 
ly and  easily  by  merely  drawing  a  wire  through  them.  Both 
ends  of  the  wire  are  fastened  to  a  short  stick,  making  a  loop 
of  the  wire,  which  is  put  over  the  block  of  soap  into  notches 
at  the  corners;  both  hands  of  the  workman  grasping  the 
stick,  and  his  foot  placed  against  the  soap,  and  throwing  the 
weight  of  his  body  back,  in  one  moment  a  cut  is  made 
through  a  square  of  fourteen  inches  diameter.  The  olive 
oil  which  is  destined  for  these  manufactories  of  soap,  as 
well  as  the  salt,  which  is  used  with  sulphur  in  making  a  fac- 
titious barilla,  are  prevented  passing  into  commerce  as  arti- 
cles of  food,  by  the  mixture  of  a  small  quantity  of  tar,  which 
spoils  their  taste,  but  does  no  injury  to  the  soap.  Salt  and 
olive  oil  otherwise  pay  a  heavy  duty. 

The  calm  mild  weather  wThich  we  have  so  long  enjoyed 
here  has  given  place  to  a  strong  north  wester,  which  is  com- 
plained of,  with  good  reason,  as  extremely  "disagreeable 
from  its  violence,  coldness  and  the  dust  it  raises;  but  it  is 
esteemed  wholesome  in  drying  up  the  mud,  blowing  out 
the  foul  air  from  narrow  streets,  and  especially  for  setting 
in  motion  the  water  of  the  harbour,  which  does  not  rise 
or  fall  by  any  tide,  and  becomes  charged  with  impurities 
from  the  neighbouring  houses.  After  two  days'  blustering, 
the  atmosphere  settled  again  to  the  mildness  of  spring, 
when  the  cobblers,  tinmen  and  other  workmen,  resumed 
their  stations  in  the  streets. 


December  25th. 


Nothing  has  served  to  distinguish  Christmas  but  the  unu- 
sual display  made  in  the  cake  and  toy  shops,  and  the  quan- 
tities of  evergreens,  which  have  been  selling  for  some  days} 


40 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


except  that  (Thursday  as  it  is,)  all  the  stores  are  closed,  no 
business  is  doing  on  the  quays,  and  the  women  in  the  streets 
appear  with  clean  caps  and  washed  faces.  A  walk  on  the 
quay  at  this  time  was  more  agreeable,  as  it  was  less  dirtily 
thronged,  and  the  long  ranges  of  vessels  were  gay  with  the 
flags  of  every  nation.  At  the  church  of  Notre  Dame  du 
Mont,  we  heard  mass  with  a  body  of  military,  who  marched 
in  to  the  beat  of  twenty  drums,  and  were  stationed  in  two 
rows  down  the  body  of  the  church;  the  officers  advanced 
in  the  central  opening;  and  the  band,  stationed  at  one  side 
near  the  altar,  performed  a  fine  piece  of  music.  It  was  cu- 
rious to  witness  the  soldiers  manoeuvring  their  guns  at  the 
word  of  command,  with  their  bear  skin  caps  on;  yet,  at 
the  elevation  of  the  host,  dropping  on  one  knee  and  bow- 
ing the  head  for  some  moments,  during  a  roll  of  the  drum; 
after  which  the  music  again  struck  up,  and  finished  with  a 
joyous  animated  strain. 

A  crowd  of  people  were  collected  on  the  quay  to  see  a 
handsome  Turkish  horse  which  was  just  landed,  elegantly 
caparisoned  with  gold  or  gilt  plates,  tassels,  trappings,  hol- 
sters and  appendages  to  the  curious  saddle  which  was  co- 
vered with  purple  velvet.  I  was  particularly  pleased  with  the 
beauty  and  spirit  of  his  head,  and  his  graceful  movements, 
which  reminded  me  of  the  horses  in  Vandyke's  pictures. 

A  party  of  Egyptians  have  just  arrived  from  Navarino, 
on  business  relative  to  the  frigate  which  is  building  here 
for  the  Pacha.  They  are  the  first  human  beings  I  have 
seen  to  authenticate  the  character  which  we  observe  in  the 
ancient  Egyptian  sculpture — High  aquiline  noses,  retreat- 
ing foreheads  and  thick  lips ;  their  complexions  varying  from 
a  pale  brown  to  a  dark  copper  colour,  and  some  of  their 
servants  nearly  black.  Their  costume  is  scarlet  cloth  much 
ornamented  with  gold  lace;  ample  petticoat  breeches,  orna- 
mented leggings  and  slippers.  One  of  them  wears  a  rich 
cashmere  shawl,  wrapped  into  the  form  of  a  turban;  the 
others  plain  red  cloth  caps  with  blue  tassels.    The  servants 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


41 


are  in  cloth  of  various  colours,  ornamented  with  silk  lace, 
and  some  with  appendages  resembling  a  second  pair  of  long 
sleeves,  cut  open  at  one  side  and  hanging  behind  their  shoul- 
ders. Their  chins  are  shaved,  but  they  all  wear  mustachios, 
and  have  a  shrewd  and  intelligent  aspect. 


December  21th. 

Having  embarked  and  set  sail  at  dusk,  and  reconciled  our- 
selves, as  well  as  we  could,  to  the  want  of  accommodation 
and  cleanliness,  we  had  the  pleasure  of  waking  in  the 
morning  opposite  the  port  of  Toulon,  which  appears  sur- 
rounded by  rocky  mountains.  The  aerial  perspective  of 
these,  in  the  light  and  vapoury  atmosphere  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean, was  beautiful,  as  they  long  lingered  on  the  sight: 
whilst  a  great  extent  of  snowy  Alps,  resembling  masses  of 
white  but  angular  clouds,  showed  their  distant  heights  at  our 
left.  The  whole  extent  too  of  the  island  of  Corsica,  at  thirty 
miles  distance,  with  its  snow-capped  mountains  shining  bright 
in  the  sun,  now  began  to  occupy  our  attention  in  front;  not 
without  some  recollections  of  that  fertile  genius  who  was 
born  amid  its  barren  rocks,  to  dominate  over  human  ener- 
gies. 

When  the  steep  shores  of  Sardinia  appeared  to  the  right, 
showing  us  the  passage  between  the  two  islands,  and  pro- 
mising a  speedy  termination  to  our  voyage,  the  ignorance  and 
timidity  of  our  captain  induced  him  to  prefer  the  broader 
course  of  the  sea,  by  going  entirely  around  the  island  of  Sar- 
dinia, although  the  wind  was  less  favourable ;  and  we  slowly 
skirted  the  long  line  of  that  uninteresting  shore,  during  four 

6 


42 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


tedious  days.  At  length,  the  celebrated  rocks  called  the 
Bull,  the  Cow,  and  the  Calf,  which  stand  out  beyond  the  ex- 
treme point  of  .the  island,  made  us  rejoice  at  the  prospect  of 
soon  doubling  them,  and  then  bearing  away  with  a  fair  wind  di- 
rectly down  upon  Naples.  But  just  as  we  were  about  to  ac- 
complish this  pleasant  purpose,  the  mistrale,  or  north-west 
wind,  so  much  dreaded  by  Mediterranean  navigators,  struck 
us,  and  continued  to  increase  with  so  much  force,  that  after 
making  more  than  half  our  way  to  Naples,  where  in  imagi- 
nation we  were  already  enjoying  ourselves,  the  captain,  on 
the  seventh  night,  having  scarcely  any  command  of  the  ves- 
sel amid  the  angry  wind  and  waves,  and  in  total  darkness, 
talked  of  turning  the  ship  about  and  seeking  a  port  at  Paler- 
mo in  Sicily.  This  unwelcome  intelligence,  after  some  dis- 
cussion among  the  passengers,  was  first  tolerated,  and  then 
fancied  ;  so  that  they  were  quite  disappointed  before  mid- 
night to  learn  that  we  could  keep  our  course,  as  the  gale  was 
moderating. 

This  desire  of  seeing  Palermo,  was  less  to  enjoy  its  anti- 
quities than  to  get  on  shore;  provoked  by  the  want  of  com- 
fortable accommodations,  and  disgusted  with  bad  provisions, 
worse  cooking,  and  filthy  attendance.  The  storm  at  length 
subsided,  and  though  no  land  was  in  sight,  we  were  glad  to 
rise  from  our  sick  beds  and  walk  the  deck  in  the  grateful 
beams  of  the  sun. 

We  were  not  without  amusement  on  board,  having  four 
grinning  monkeys,  four  screaming  parrots,  two  fat  lazy  cats, 
and  one  ill-natured  growling  dog.  With  these,  the  captain, 
mate,  and  sailors  promiscuously  amused  themselves,  as  if 
there  was  no  subordination  among  them.  Yet  the  captain 
and  mate  contrived  to  get  their  wishes  executed,  without  the 
noise  of  command,  or  the  semblance  of  authority  ;  and,  what 
was  more  unexpected  to  us,  without  the  least  reliance  on  the 
Virgin  Mary;  to  whom  none  of  them  offered  even  an  ejacu- 
lation during  the  greatest  perils  of  the  gale. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  the  island  of  Ischia,  which  lies  across 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


13 


the  entrance  to  the  bay  of  Naples,  was  perceived  like  a  cloud 
in  the  horizon,  about  forty  miles  distant.  A  favourable  breeze 
having  arisen,  we  had  the  pleasure  next  morning  of  approach- 
ing, and  soon  of  passing  the  island,  which  appeared  like  an 
immense  barren  rock,  sprinkled  over  with  white  stones, 
that,  on  approaching  nearer,  were  discovered  to  be  houses. 
The  rocks  hold  sufficient  soil  to  support  numerous  little  vine- 
yards, which  produce  an  abundant  harvest  of  a  peculiar 
wine. 

On  entering  the  bay  of  Naples,  unfortunately  the  atmos- 
phere became  foggy,  the  sun  disappeared,  and  nothing  but 
the  general  forms  of  objects  could  be  perceived,  till  we  had 
advanced  midway :  a  few  gleams  of  sunshine  then  showed 
us  on  every  rock,  promontory,  and  hill,  numerous  habitations, 
which,  through  the  mist,  at  a  distance,  and  on  elevations 
greater  than  we  imagined,  had  appeared  like  oyster-shells 
sprinkled  on  the  ground.  Vesuvius,  all  the  while,  was  co- 
vered with  a  cloud,  which  veiled  its  peculiar  character.  But 
when  we  approached  the  city,  for  a  few  minutes  it  brightened 
up  a  little,  Vesuvius  showed  its  double  head,  though  not  the 
extreme  summits,  and  consequently  we  still  saw  no  smoke  to 
produce  the  conviction  of  its  identity.  Castles,  forts,  towns, 
villages,  the  opening  prospect  of  Naples  itself  with  its  colos- 
sal fortress  frowning  over  the  city — a  splendid  convent  be- 
neath, on  a  beautiful  eminence,  apparently  an  extensive  gar- 
den,— and  on  a  more  distant  hill,  a  palace  of  the  king; — all 
these  objects  gradually  brightened  into  realities,  with  the  full 
charm  of  novelty. 

Peace  being  concluded  with  Algiers,  our  cannon  on  the 
deck  had  not  been  loosened  from  their  fastenings;  but,  elated 
by  the  prospect  of  soon  landing,  and  considering  that  all  the 
gunpowder  on  board  must  be  consigned  to  the  king's  maga- 
zine, it  was  determined,  in  mere  gaiety  of  heart,  to  announce 
ourselves  by  a  few  discharges.  The  sailors  with  great  glee 
made  the  necessary  preparations,  and  six  guns  gave  notice  of 
our  ajrrival,  but  contributed,  by  exciting  some  notoriety,  to 


44 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


embarrass  our  measures  to  debark  without  performing  a  need- 
less quarantine. 

We  approached  the  inner  harbour  as  the  wind  increased 
to  a  gale,  and  were  scarcely  attached  to  our  station  opposite 
the  health  office,  when  it  blew  with  such  violence  as  to 
drive  us  from  our  fastenings,  and  we  were  in  great  danger  of 
striking  on  the  rocks.  During  three  hours,  we  laboured  in 
this  peril,  until,  with  the  assistance  of  some  additional  hands, 
and  the  people  on  shore,  we  were  at  length  safely  moored 
with  half  a  dozen  cables' abreast  of  a  man  of  war,  in  spite 
of  this  most  terrific  hurricane — our  decks  entirely  covered 
with  ropes  which  had  been  used  in  heaving  in.  But  no 
health  officers  appearing,  we  were  obliged  to  remain  on 
board,  and  partook  at  a  late  hour  of  a  welcome  collation  of 
fresh  provisions,  which  the  owner  sent  us  from  the  shore. 

This  must  certainly  be  an  unusual  entrance  into  Naples ! 
No  glowing  sunset — no  placid  surface  on  its  capacious  bay, 
now  a  rolling  sea — its  islands  dim  and  gloomy — all  distant  ob- 
jects lost  in  mist — the  air,  a  blast  as  offensive  as  that  on  the 
banks  of  Newfoundland — the  harbour  itself  a  place  of  danger 
— and  shipwreck  scarcely  prevented  within  its  mole.  Instead 
of  the  sounds  of  gaiety  in  a  city  of  pleasure,  nothing  but  a 
confused  cry  of  rough  voices,  mingling  with  the  angry  and  tre- 
mendous rush  of  the  winds  and  waves  under  a  stormy  sky  of 
driving  clouds.  Can  this  be  lovely  Italy  into  which  I  have 
entered  ?    Can  this  be  Naples  ? 


Naples,  Jan.  6  th,  1829. 


We  endured  much  delay  and  anxious  expectation,  with  the 
dread  of  being  sent  down  to  the  quarantine  ground,  because 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


43 


our  ship  had  been  to  the  West  Indies,  though  she  had  per- 
formed thirty  days  quarantine  at  Marseilles,  and  was  fur- 
nished with  regular  bills  of  health.  During  all  this  time  we 
were  surrounded  by  a  swarm  of  boats,  filled  with  men  voci- 
ferating in  every  possible  manner  the  harsh  Neapolitan  dia- 
lect, which  conveyed  no  idea  of  the  musical  language  of  Ita- 
ly; and  when  we  obtained  permission  to  land,  these  half  na- 
ked, brown  skinned  brawlers,  boatmen  and  porters,  by  their 
numbers  and  officiousness,  incommoded  us  much  more  than 
they  served  us. 

I  have  not  read  any  description  of  Naples  which  did  not 
begin  with  a  fascinating  account  of  its  bay,  its  palaces,  gar- 
dens and  walks.  We  certainly  have  entered  it  at  the  wrong 
end.  Better  is  it  to  see  the  bay  by  going  out  from  shore  on 
a  fine  day,  and  best  it  must  be  to  enter  it  by  land,  for  those 
who  would  not  experience  the  purgatory  of  its  custom-house. 
A  whole  day  was  consumed  in  fatiguing  exertions,  and  te- 
dious suspense,  before  we  could  enjoy  the  privilege  of  pos- 
sessing our  trunks. 

The  custom-house  officers  having  taken  charge  of  the  ves- 
sel, and  sealed  up  every  trunk,  instead  of  landing  the  bag- 
gage themselves,  required  us  to  get  a  permit  from  the  shore. 
As  I  undertook  this  office,  I  had  the  opportunity  of  witness- 
ing a  scene  I  should  never  otherwise  have  conceived.  On 
entering  the  vast  vaulted  hall,  in  which  goods  are  received, 
the  noise  of  porters,  weighers  and  packers,  calling  out  to 
each  other  at  the  highest  pitch  of  the  strongest  voices,  min- 
gling with  the  shrill  cries  of  cake  women,  idle  boys,  and  beg- 
gars, suggested  the  idea  of  a  besieged  city,  destined  to  imme- 
diate ruin,  and  that  it  was  the  riot  of  escape,  despair  and  des- 
peration. Through  every  vaulted  arch  the  open  offices  rang 
with  the  din  from  below  5  the  clerks  themselves,  from  time 
to  time,  vociferating  in  the  general  chorus,  in  sudden  bursts 
of  apparent  rage  and  impatience,  yet  in  a  few  moments  set- 
tling down  into  a  steady  calm ;  like  their  own  Mediterra- 


46 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


nean — its  pleasant  surface  suddenly  whipped  into  rage  and 
fury,  and  as  suddenly  subsiding. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  the  curious,  minute,  and 
formal  examination  of  the  contents  of  each  trunk  to  the 
bottom — every  package,  hole  and  corner.  They  were  final- 
ly given  up  to  us,  with  the  exception  of  our  books  and 
pamphlets,  which  must  undergo  an  ecclesiastical  as  well  as 
political  examination.  Three  hours  next  day  were  consumed 
in  efforts  to  regain  our  books,  which  was  effected  by  fees, 
duties,  and  patient  attendance  through  much  explanation  and 
many  signatures. 

I  cannot  forbear  making  this  memorandum  on  the  custom- 
house transactions,  because  it  is  evident  that  if  a  milder 
and  more  inviting  conduct  were  pursued,  the  commerce  of 
the  place  would  be  greatly  promoted. 

Indeed  the  whole  business  of  landing  at  Naples,  with  the 
police  and  custom-house  examinations,  signatures,  permits, 
duties,  re-examinations,  fees  and  impositions,  is  so  trouble- 
some and  vexatious,  that  it  constitutes  a  serious  drawback 
to  any  advantage  there  may  be  in  coming  to  Naples  by  wa- 
ter. I  should  never  recommend  this  course,  and  chiefly  as 
it  is  desirable  to  see  as  much  as  possible  by  land,  taking 
different  routes  in  going  and  returning. 

Naples,  at  the  head  of  its  bay,  is  built  on  a  level  shore,  at 
the  foot  of  a  high  hill,  which  partly  hides  it  in  the  approach 
by  water;  except  that  portion  which  is  built  on  the  hill  itself, 
crowned  by  the  great  square  fort  or  castle  of  St.  Elmo,  from 
which  a  ridge  descends  to  a  street  at  the  water's  edge,  and 
projects  into  the  bay,  to  form  the  rocky  foundation  of  the 
castle  of  the  Egg.  The  city  chiefly  consists  of  narrow, 
crooked,  but  well  paved  streets,  lined  with  stupendous  masses 
of  buildings,  reaching  five,  six,  and  seven  stories  high.  One 
grand,  though  not  very  broad  street,  the  Toledo,  stretches 
its  whole  length  at  the  base  of  the  hill,  and  is  the  great  tho- 
roughfare of  the  city,  running  from  the  square  on  which 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


47 


stands  the  King's  palace  to  the  other  end  of  the  city  where 
are  the  spacious  buildings  of  the  Royal  Academy,  which  con- 
tain the  galleries  of  paintings  and  statues,  and  the  precious 
relics  of  Herculaneum  and  Pompeii.  With  a  population  of 
three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  persons,  crowded  into  a 
small  compass,  a  large  portion  of  whom  live  and  lounge  or 
work  in  the  streets,  the  continual  visitation  of  strangers,  the 
motion  and  noise  of  numerous  carriages,  and  the  bustle  every 
where — Naples  possesses  the  character  of  being  the  most 
animated  and  lively  city  in  Italy. 

A  stranger's  first  walk  is  through  the  Toledo  to  the  Great 
Square,  which  is  occupied  by  the  Royal  Palace  on  one  side, 
opposite  to  an  elegant  new  church,  while  the  Queen's  Palace 
is  at  one  end,  and  that  of  the  Prince  at  the  other.  After  passing 
the  palace,  a  low  wall  permits  you  to  look  over  on  the  immense 
courts,  houses,  and  roofs  below,  constituting  the  King's  Arse- 
nal, and  affording  him  protection  by  land  and  the  means  of 
escape  by  water.  In  pursuing  the  street,  along  the  water's 
edge,  the  other  extremity  of  Naples  is  seen,  curving  round 
the  head  of  the  bay,  to  the  long  line  of  public  granaries, 
and  opposite  rises  Vesuvius — now,  just  clear  of  clouds,  the 
crater  filled  with  smoke,  and  the  Outer  edges  with  snow  or 
hail,  of  which  in  the  morning  there  was  a  sudden  and  vio- 
lent shower.  A  long  line  of  houses,  most  of  them  fitted 
up  for  the  accommodation  of  strangers,  here  fronts  on  the 
bay,  with  the  advantage  of  the  public  walk  which  com- 
mences just  beyond  them.  This  pleasure  ground,  called  the 
Villa  Feale,  is  beautifully  laid  out,  with  smooth  and  va- 
ried walks,  which  are  ornamented  with  fountains,  statues,  and 
columns,  the  last  of  polished  lava,  each  in  a  single  piece, 
twenty  feet  long.  The  grounds  are  covered  with  delightful 
groves,  various  species  of  trees,  shrubbery,  and  flowers,  to 
the  extent  of  a  mile;  the  whole  extends  along  the  very  edge 
of  the  bay,  and  midway  is  a  semi-octagonal  projecting  ter- 
race, from  which  you  have  a  fine  view  of  the  city,  Vesuvius, 
and  the  bay.    We  had  reason,  also,  to  be  delighted  with  the 


48 


NOTES  ON  ITALY, 


performances  of  the  royal  military  band,  consisting  of  forty 
musicians,  who  execute  daily  on  this  promenade  a  number  of 
pieces  with  unusual  taste  and  skill. 

In  returning  towards  our  quarters,  we  met  a  great  throng 
of  carriages  going  to  the  Villa  for  an  airing  before  the  hour 
of  fashionable  dinner;  and  in  the  train  we  were  shown  the 
queen  and  princess,  in  an  open  barouche,  and  without  any 
guards — a  good  looking  lady,  gaily  drest  in  the  French  fa- 
shion, with  a  large  bonnet. 

The  Museo  Barbonico  or  Studio  is  a  vast  building,  dedi- 
cated to  the  fine  arts,  with  a  magnificent  front  and  door  way, 
consistent  with  the  reputation  of  Naples  and  the  importance 
which  is  attached  to  the  objects  of  art.  An  immense  hall, 
into  which  carriages  sometimes  enter,  conducts  you  past  the 
galleries  of  antique  statues  on  both  sides,  and  high  arches, 
beneath  which  stand  two  colossal  equestrian  statues,  modelled 
by  Canova,  to  the  grand  massive  marble  stair-case,  ornament- 
ed with  antique  statuary,  which  leads  to  the  picture  galleries 
and  the  treasures  of  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum. 

Three  hours  spent  here,  which  is  time  enough  for  one  vi- 
sit, only,  enabled  us  to  take  a  cursory  view  of  the  paintings. 
One  of  the  rooms  was  rich  in  possessing,  and  I  Was  delighted 
in  seeing,  several  pictures  of  the  highest  order  of  merit. 
Titian's  Danae,  one  of  the  few  pictures  of  this  master  which 
is  bright  and  fresh;  a  beautiful  Infant  Angel  by  Schidone;  a 
fine  portrait  of  Columbus  by  Parmigiano;  an  admirable  one 
of  Leo  X.  by  Raphael,  or  copy  by  Jlndrea  del  Sarto;  a 
holy  family  by  Raphael;  and  a  beautiful  picture  of  a  Venus, 
Child,  and  Satyr,  by  Jinnibal  CaraccL 

This  was  the  only  room  in  which  we  saw  any  artists  co- 
pying— but  it  is  large  and  well-lighted,  and  the  few  good  pic- 
tures it  possesses  are  worth  more  than  all  the  rest  of  the  col- 
lection together.  The  most  beautiful  copies  made  in  this 
gallery  are  those  done  on  ivory  in  miniature, — often  beauti- 
fully drawn,  richly  coloured,  and  remarkably  cheap. 

In  the  adjoining  room  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  little  pic- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


49 


tares  I  have  seen  by  Raphael — a  Holy  Family — in  which  the 
landscape  possesses  the  singular  merit  of  harmonizing  with 
the  figures  and  being  natural  at  the  same  time. 

In  another  series  of  rooms  I  remarked  a  fine  and  wonder- 
fully painted  head  of  Rembrandt,  by  himself,  the  roughest 
and  most  singular  application  of  paint  I  have  ever  seen;  ex- 
cellent portraits  by  Vandyke  and  Mirveld;  an  uncommonly 
well-painted  St.  Sebastian  by  Ribera;  a  beautiful  Holy  Family 
by  Massino;  the  Annunciation  by  Francesco  Curio;  an  ex- 
traordinary and  very  excellent  picture  by  Salvator  Rosa,  of 
ten  figures,  half  length,  representing  Christ  disputing  with  the 
Doctors;  some  spirited  battle-pieces  by  Luca  Giordano,  and 
two  large  altar-pieces,  by  the  same  artist,  with  numerous 
figures  of  great  animation ;  one  of  which  he  painted  in  five 
days.  It  is  said,  that  Luca  early  showed  great  facility  with 
his  pencil,  yet  his  avaricious  father  urged  him  to  greater  speed, 
so  that  he  went  by  the  name  of  his  father's  daily  salutation, 
Luca  fa  presto,  (Luke  make- haste.)  It  is  to  be  lamented, 
that  from  the  vanity  to  preserve  the  reputation  of  a  rapid 
painter,  when  he  was  no  longer  urged  by  his  father,  he  has 
slighted  the  finish  and  perfection  of  his  animated  composi- 
tions, in  a  manner  inconsistent  with  the  talent  and  ability 
which  it  is  evident  he  possessed. 

There  are  here  many  other  pictures  of  merit,  but  I  have 
named  all  that  most  powerfully  arrested  my  attention,  and 
which  I  could  not  forbear  noting.  The  various  rooms  con- 
tain specimens  of  all  the  schools ;  but,  although  such  objects 
are  interesting  in  tracing  the  progress  of  the  arts,  it  required 
some  effort  to  look  at  them  in  the  neighbourhood  of  those  of 
better  periods  and  of  greater  masters.  Yet,  such  is  the  di- 
versity of  tastes,  that  a  gentleman  in  the  gallery  declared  to 
me,  that  the  picture  which  pleased  him  most,  in  the  whole 
collection,  was  one  which  represented  the  blind  leading  the 
blind,  the  foremost  falling  into  a  ditch;  and  the  rest,  a  gro- 
tesque succession  of  figures,  holding  on  to  each  other,  and  fast 

7 


50 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


following — a  production  of  the  Dutch  school,  but  little  above 
ordinary  carricature. 

As  the  Museum  closed  at  two  o'clock,  and  finding  ourselves 
at  one  extremity  of  the  city,  we  determined  to  walk  out- 
wards to  the  country.  On  arriving  at  the  Bridge  of  the  Sa- 
nita,  built  under  the  administration  of  Murat,  by  which  a 
perfect  level  is  made  of  that  part  of  the  city  and  neighbour- 
ing hill,  and  a  valley  is  enclosed,  thickly  built,  with  several 
streets  of  tall  houses,  whose  tops  do  not  reach  the  height  of 
the  bridge,  or  rather  road  built  on  arches — we  looked  down 
upon  a  multitude  of  flat  terrace  roofs,  upon  which  the  inha- 
bitants dry  their  clothes  and  perform  other  domestic  business. 
Raising  our  eyes  from  this  singular  set  of  objects,  we  were 
struck  with  the  grandeur  of  Vesuvius,  which  was  seen  to  its 
very  base,  and  to  a  great  extent  on  each  side.  The  upper 
portions  of  the  mountain,  covered  with  snow,  received  the 
brightest  rays  of  the  afternoon's  sun,  distinctly  showing  the 
edges  of  the  crater  and  large  volumes  of  smoke,  as  white  as 
the  clouds  which  hung  immediately  over  it,  hiding  a  portion 
of  its  summit.  It  presented  a  beautiful  effect  of  aerial  per- 
spective, in  the  bluish  colour  of  its  shadows,  and  the  still  bluer 
forms  of  the  more  distant  mountains,  as  they  were  contrasted 
with  the  nearer  objects  and  villages  at  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tain. 

Perceiving  a  stranger  leaning  on  the  parapet  with  his 
guide-book,  similarly  engaged,  I  questioned  him  in  French 
concerning  some  of  the  surrounding  objects ;  for  a  while  he 
replied  in  French,  but  at  length,  in  native  English,  said,  that 
he  presumed  he  could  give  me  more  satisfaction  in  my  own 
language.  Such  accidental  meetings  frequently  occur  to  di- 
versify and  improve  the  traveller's  route.  We,  therefore, 
agreed  to  join  him  on  an  unpremeditated  visit  to  the  Cata- 
combs of  Santa  Maria  delta  Vita,  which  were  near  this 
spot.  Descending  into  the  valley  of  houses,  and  then  rising 
to  the  foot  of  a  neighbouring  hill,  we  entered  the  court  yard 
of  a  vast  hospital  for  the  poor;  an  establishment  made  by 


NOTES  ON  ITALY.  51 

the  French,  in  which  are  men,  women,  and  girls,  each  class 
being  kept  separate  and  made  to  work.  Here  an  old  man 
presented  himself  who  officiated  as  an  experienced  guide,  fur- 
nished with  a  lantern  and  great  flambeau  made  of  ropes  im- 
pregnated with  some  kind  of  resin.  A  little  back  lane  con- 
ducted us  to  a  kind  of  grotto,  containing  an  altar  ornamented 
with  several  marble  medallions,  which  are  said  to  have  been 
sculptured  by  the  early  Christians.  This  chapel  served  as 
an  entrance  to  the  chambers  of  the  dead,  which  consist  of 
long,  winding,  and  intricate  passages,  cut  out  of  the  tufa 
rock;  in  procuring  which,  for  the  purposes  of  building,  these 
vast  subterranean  excavations  were  originally  made,  and  af- 
terwards used  as  depositories  of  the  dead.  During  the  per- 
secutions against  the  early  Christians  they  were  occupied  by 
them  either  secretly  as  places  of  residence,  where  they  might 
practise  their  worship  unmolested,  or,  by  the  permission  of 
their  pagan  persecutors,  as  abodes  of  the  most  humiliating 
kind,  secluded  from  the  light  of  day.  Here  our  guide,  pre- 
ceding us  with  his  smoking  torch,  which  he  occasionally  struck 
on  the  walls,  so  as  to  scatter  off  a  radiating  flood  of  sparks 
which  left  him  a  brighter  flame,  showed  us  the  little  lateral  re- 
cesses in  which  the  humble  believers  were  contented  to  lie,  and 
shelves,  excavated  in  the  rock,  in  which  their  mortal  remains 
were  deposited  after  death.  He  pointed  out  the  larger  cham- 
bers, somewhat  decorated  with  columns  and  arches  in  faint 
relief,  in  which  the  priests  resided ;  the  places  where  altars 
stood;  and,  in  a  higher  excavation,  raised  his  torch  to  a  rude 
recess,  or  sunken  balcony  above  the  arched  passage,  whence 
the  word  was  preached  to  the  faithful  below  in  a  hall  of  great 
width.  The  chambers  occupied  by  the  most  distinguished 
characters  were  denoted  by  better  sculpture,  Mosaic  incrus- 
tations, and  fresco  paintings.  We  followed  the  windings  of 
these  subterranean  corridors  to  a  great  extent,  till  we  reached 
a  hall  which  was  said  to  be  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in  height;  but 
whether  contrived  for  the  purpose  of  ventilation,  or  as  a  shaft 
for  raising  the  stone,  we  could  not  ascertain,  any  more  than  we 


52 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


could  the  accuracy  of  our  guide's  information,  that  the  bodies  of 
hundreds  of  martyrs  were  thrown  down  there  by  their  pagan 
murderers,  whence  they  were  conveyed  by  their  surviving 
friends  into  the  niches  prepared  for  them.  From  these  re- 
mote parts  passages  now  closed  were  formerly  open,  which 
communicated  with  other  Catacombs  and  villages  for  sixteen 
miles  round,  affording  the  inmates,  it  is  said,  the  means  of 
escaping  the  persecutions  which  from  time  to  time  fell  upon 
a  sect  so  obnoxious  to  the  pagan  priesthood. 

In  some  parts  of  this  subterranean  abode,  steps  cut  in  the 
rock  lead  to  an  upper  story  or  series  of  passages  and  cham- 
bers. 

We  found  the  bones  in  these  Catacombs  in  excellent  pre- 
servation, and  on  many  the  flesh  of  fifteen  hundred  years  was 
still  of  such  tenacious  though  pliant  fibre  that  it  required  a 
sharpe  knife  to  cut  off  a  piece.  The  guide  showed  us  the 
heads  of  some  of  those  early  Christians  with  the  tongues  still 
remaining  in  them,  but  would  not  permit  us  to  take  one  away. 
Here  lived  the  venerated  St.  Januarius,  whose  particular  cell 
was  pointed  out  to  us;  and  to  these  retreats  was  his  dead  body 
borne  after  his  martyrdom ;  though  some  ancient  painters  re- 
present him  walking  back  with  his  head  in  his  hands. 

Returning  to  the  Ponte  Sanita,  we  again  looked  down 
on  the  moss-stained  roofs  and  little  cupolas  of  the  church  of 
Santa  Maria  della  Vita,  from  which  I  had  been  invited 
to  the  Catacombs.  I  now  persuaded  my  companion  to  visit 
it  contrary  to  the  opinion  of  his  cicerone  or  guide,  who 
said  it  contained  nothing  interesting.  A  monk  of  the  Fran- 
ciscan Monastery,  with  which  it  is  connected,  admitted  us 
from  the  level  of  the  bridge,  and  passing  through  his  corri- 
dor, lined  with  cells,  we  descended  an  extensive  series  of 
steps  into  the  church,  which  rises  from  the  valley  below.  It 
is  an  old  and  curious  edifice,  rich  in  marbles,  and  remarka- 
ble for  the  style  of  the  grand  altar,  which  is  constructed  over 
another  one,  as  on  a  bridge,  to  which  you  rise  by  two  lateral 
flights  of  steps,  ornamented  with  elegant  ballustrades  of 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


53 


costly  marbles.  The  old  monk  showed  us,  behind  the  altar, 
an  ancient  painting  of  the  Madonna,  resembling  an  Indian, 
and  a  precious  door  to  a  case  containing  some  sacred  relic; 
but  as  we  did  not  seem  interested  in  these,  he  proceeded  to 
open  a  door  in  the  side  wall,  and  requested  us  to  walk  in. 
To  our  surprise  it  was  the  entrance  to  another  series  of  Ca- 
tacombs, in  which  were  deposited  the  dead  within  the  last 
two  hundred  years.  These  were  placed  in  perpendicular 
niches  in  the  rock,  and  plaistered  up,  leaving  only  a  part  of 
the  head  projecting;  the  men  with  their  faces  out,  the  wo- 
men with  their  faces  in,  only  exposing  the  backs  of  their 
heads,  from  which  the  hair  had  long  since  fallen.  By  scraping 
away  the  plaister,  some  of  the  skeletons  appeared  in  their 
whole  extent,  among  which  was  an  extraordinary  one  of  a 
man  about  eight  feet  tall.  The  plaister  which  covers  these  bo- 
dies, thus  showing  only  one  half  of  the  head,  was  painted  so 
as  to  imitate  the  entire  figure,  clothed  as  men  or  women  and 
sometimes  representing  them  as  skeletons  in  part  covered 
with  drapery,  with  various  inscriptions  above'  them.  The 
deeper  recesses  of  these  vaults  led  to  chambers  where  we 
saw  two  carcases  of  men,  deposited  only  six  months  since ; 
the  flesh  not  decaying,  but  gradually  drying  up.  They  were 
naked  and  seated  in  niches  in  the  wall,  with  their  heads  and 
arms  hanging  forwards  in  very  grotesque  postures.  In  the 
catacombs  which  we  first  visited,  the  dead  were  generally 
placed  horizontally,  whereas  here,  all  that  we  now  saw  were 
standing  erect.  We  entered  some  chambers,  however,  with 
numerous  empty  horizontal  recesses. 

From  a  groundless  apprehension  that  these  catacombs  are 
damp,  they  are  not  often  visited,  nor  are  smoking  torches  used 
to  blacken  and  destroy  the  ancient  fresco  paintings  and  mo- 
saic decorations.  Our  monk  informed  us  that  a  passage  con- 
necting with  the  other  catacombs  has  been  closed  up. 


54 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


January  10  th. 

Visited  the  galleries  devoted  to  statuary  and  the  antiquities 
of  Egypt.  These  last  objects,  most  of  which  are  of  small 
size,  are  of  great  interest  as  the  production  of  so  ancient  a 
people,  and  as  exhibiting  the  state  of  the  arts  prior  to  their 
introduction  into  Greece,  where  they  were  afterwards  car- 
ried to  much  greater  perfection.  A  few,  however,  which 
are  in  marble,  are  in  pretty  good  taste,  and  might  be  mistaken 
for  Grecian  works.  The  greatest  number  are  of  red  por- 
phyry, of  extreme  hardness,  upon  which  the  elements  have 
not  made  the  slightest  impression  to  impair  the  beauty  of  the 
workmanship.  In  this  cabinet  are  several  mummies,  exhi- 
biting their  various  appearances  with  and  without  their  vo- 
luminous wrappings  of  linen.  One  of  them  is  entirely  di- 
vested of  the  linen,  perfectly  clean,  smooth  and  glossy  ;  black 
as  a  negro,  with  all  the  flesh  dried  up  to  the  bones.  A  neck- 
lace and  inscription  were  round  her  neck,  by  which  it  ap- 
peared that  she  was  the  daughter  of  some  king  that  lived 
three  thousand  four  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  Another 
personage,  a  male,  we  were  informed  belonged  to  a  period 
so  long  back  as  five  thousand  years. 

The  Gallery  of  Bronzes  contains  some  good  busts,  and 
amongt  the  statues  a  few  that  are  interesting,  particularly  a 
Drunken  Faun.  He  is  lying  on  a  skin  and  a  bag  of  wine, 
the  countenance  expressive  of  great  glee  ;  one  foot  raised, 
and  the  right  hand  in  the  act  of  snapping  his  fingers  and 
thumb.  A  Wearied  Mercury  is  also  good — and  a  Horse  is 
beautifully  executed.  In  this  room  there  is  a  vast  basin  or 
vase  of  porphyry,  about  twelve  feet  in  diameter,  which,  with 
its  pedestal  and  various  ornamental  carvings  was  made  of 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


55 


one  solid  piece.  It  was  used  for  religious  purposes  in  sacri- 
ficing bulls. 

Among  the  busts  the  front  face  of  Celts  Caldo  struck 
me  as  much  resembling  that  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  and  that 
of  JlugustiLS,  might  be  mistaken  for  Napoleon. 

One  chamber  contains  a  vast  quantity  of  tombs,  monu- 
ments,, inscriptions,  broken  statues,  &c,  but  is  distinguished 
by  possessing  two  precious  objects,  the  colossal  statue  of 
Hercules  Resting,  known  by  the  name  of  the  Farnesian  Her- 
cules ;  and  the  celebrated  group  called  the  Farnesian  Bull, 
which  represents  two  men  in  the  act  of  seizing  a  bull,  to 
whose  horns  their  mother  Dirce  is  tied  by  the  hair.  The 
whole  group,  consisting  of  the  bull  and  five,  human  figures, 
a  dog,  and  various  little  animals,  was  cut  out  of  a  single  piece 
of  marble. 

These  two  rare  objects  were  found  at  Rome  in  the  baths 
of  Caracalla,  and  at  great  expense  removed  to  Naples,  where 
the  Bull  long  ornamented  the  promenade  of  the  Villa  JReale, 
but  it  began  to  suffer  from  the  weather,  and  this  wonder 
of  the  Sculptor's  art,  with  great  labour  and  cost,  has  been 
safely  removed  to  its  present  place  of  preservation,  where 
it  is  seen  to  more  advantage. 

In  another  series  of  rooms,  there  are  many  interesting  sta- 
tues, vases  and  other  sculpture.  I  was  particularly  pleased 
with  the  statue  of  the  Venus  Victrix,  and  that  of  the  Anti- 
nous,  of  which  the  shoulders  and  bust  are  very  beautiful. 
The  draped  statue  of  Aristides  is  much  admired,  and  the 
spot  which  Canova  chose,  as  the  best  point  of  view,  is  worn 
by  the  tread  of  visiters.  One  of  those  rooms  contains  seve- 
ral curious,  and  certainly  very  beautiful  statues  of  coloured 
marbles,  chiefly  representing  rich  drapery.  A  black  Apollo 
also  is  very  beautiful. 

I  take  occasion,  during  one  of  the  frequent  showers  of 
rain  which  occur  in  Naples  at  this  season,  and  interrupt  the 
visiter  in  his  excursions,  to  notice  a  few  peculiarities.  In- 


56 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


stead  of  the  rattling  carts  filled  with  tin  vessels  of  milk  which 
are  heard  and  seen  in  every  street  in  New  York,  morning 
and  evening,  the  Neapolitan  is  waked  from  his  slumber  by 
the  low  dull  tinkling  of  little  bells  at  the  necks  of  goats, 
asses  and  cows,  which  in  droves  of  various  sizes,  supply  the 
inhabitants  with  fresh  milk,  received  in  pots,  or  more  gene- 
rally in  glass  decanters.  I  believe  that  very  little  milk  is  sold 
any  other  way. 

I  have  remarked  that  at  Marseilles  carts  are  seldom  used. 
This  appears  to  be  the  Italian  practice,  as  it  prevails  still 
more  extensively  here;  so  that  very  few  carts  incommode 
the  throng  of  people  in  the  streets,  whose  attention  is  suffi- 
ciently required  to  guard  against  the  rapid  approach  of  nu- 
merous carriages.  Almost  every  thing  is  carried  about  on 
asses,  not  only  loads  of  provisions,  coal  and  wood,  but  sand 
and  large  stones  for  building;  which  are  packed  in  panniers 
at  each  side  of  a  huge  saddle.  These  panniers  are  made 
of  straw,  coming  to  a  point,  at  some  distance  from  the  ani- 
mal's body,  and  are  kept  out  by  a  stick  which  passes  under- 
neath from  one  pannier  to  the  other.  Immense  bundles  of 
straw  are  carried  by  these  poor  creatures,  one  at  each  side, 
and  one  across  on  the  top,  by  which  all  but  his  head  and  tail 
are  entirely  hidden — the  driver  either  leading  him  by  the  bri- 
dle, or  directing  his  course  by  pulling  at  his  tail,  which  they 
manage  as  a  rudder. 

Naples  is  abundantly  accommodated  with  carriages  for 
public  use,  and  at  a  cheap  rate ;  twenty  grains,  (about  six- 
teen American  cents)  being  the  charge  for  carrying  one, 
two,  three  or  four  persons  from  one  end  of  the  city  to  the 
other;  adding  two  grains,  according  to  custom,  as  a  gratu- 
ity to  the  coachmen.  But  they  often  endeavour  to  get, 
from  strangers  three  times  that  sum.  The  carriages  in 
general  use  are  entirely  open  in  fair  weather,  with  nothing 
but  a  falling  top,  like  that  of  a  chaise,  in  case  of  rain,  to 
protect  as  many  as  can  sit  on  the  back  seat. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


57 


Numerous  as  these  carriages  are,  in  case  of  a  sudden 
shower  they  are  all  in  requisition;  because  very  few  houses 
having  gutters,  the  water,  from  long  projecting  spouts,  is 
thrown  into  the  streets  precisely  where  you  would  walk.  In 
some  narrow  streets,  the  stream  from  the  lofty  spouts  is 
poured  upon  the  carriages,  falling  in  succession  on  the 
horses,  coachman,  umbrellas,  and  falling  top.  But  the 
coachmen  appear  to  delight  in  splashing  through  the  water, 
as  it  incommodes  those  who  walk. 

The  vehicle  most  used  in  the  skirts  and  neighbourhood 
of  the  city  is  a  sort  of  one  horse  chaise  called  a  curricola, 
whose  shafts  are  elevated  above  the  saddle.  The  seat  is  a 
singular  fantastic  thing  somewhat  resembling  a  saddle  rest- 
ing on  its  end,  gaily  painted  and,  profusely  studded  with 
brass  nails.  On  this  sulky  seat  sits  one  person,  whilst  the 
driver  stands  behind  flourishing  a  long  whip.  Frequently, 
however,  is  this  machine  seen  carrying  seven,  and  even  nine 
persons,  clinging  to  it  in  various  modes,  and  seated  in  rope 
nets  which  hang  front  and  back,  drawn  by  one  poor  horse, 
which  the  merciless  Neapolitan  driver  keeps  in  full  trot,  and 
whose  miseries  make  no  impression  on  the  merry  riders. 

When  unemployed,  coachmen  eagerly  offer  their  services, 
and  have  in  their  employ  men  at  the  frequented  passages, 
who  press  the  passenger  to  take  a  coach.  In  these  cheap,  gay, 
and  sometimes  elegant  vehicles  for  conveyance,  it  is  com- 
mon to  see  five  or  six  servant  girls,  without  bonnets,  enjoy- 
ing a  ride  in  the  motley  throng.  These  hacks,  together 
with  the  private  carriages  which  are  in  constant  use,  give  an 
extraordinary  appearance  of  gayety  to  this  city. 

In  some  streets,  after  a  heavy  fall  of  rain,  it  is  necessary 
to  cross  on  a  moveable  bridge,  which  consists  of  a  kind  of 
wagon  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  street,  where  the  torrent 
is  deepest,  with  planks  rising  to  it  from  each  side  of  the 
way.  But  in  almost  every  street,  after  a  copious  shower, 
such  as  is  very  frequent  at  this  season,  it  is  difficult  to  cross; 
yet  I  have  just  seen  a  large  fat  old  lady  get  over  the  rapid 


58 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


torrent  without  wetting  her  shoes;  by  riding  a-straddle  on 
the  back  of  a  barefooted  little  boy. 

The  streets  are  populous  with  beggars,  who  beset  you  in 
every  guise  of  mild  entreaty  or  earnest  solicitation;  with  a 
Madonna-like  simplicity,  or  with  the  picturesque  and  for- 
cible expressions  of  countenance  and  attitude,  which  belong 
to  each  particular  species  of  misfortunes;  the  blind  eagerly 
pointing  to  his  closed  eyes,  and  the  maimed  putting  forth 
his  injured  limb  in  the  most  advantageous  point  of  view. 
The  windows  and  glass  doors  of  the  coffee  rooms  are  beset 
with  them,  where  they  watch  every  mouthful  you  take, 
and  when  your  repast  is  over,  stop  and  snrround  you  as  you 
go  out.  Yet  it  is  not  often  I  remark  any  one  give  them  any 
thing.  Friars  of  the  mendicant  orders,  make  less  ceremo- 
ny in  entering,  but  generally  beg  of  you  with  a  pleasant 
countenance. 

In  the  Cast  el  Nuovo,  there  was  but  little  to  interest  us. 
It  is  a  large  quadrangular  fortress,  within  a  broad  ditch,  at 
the  head  of  the  port — formerly  the  residence  of  kings,  now 
occupied  as  barracks.  The  only  object  of  art  it  contains 
worthy  of  any  notice,  is  a  tall  marble  arch  which  connects 
two  old  towers,  curiously  and  elaborately  ornamented  with 
minute  sculpture ;  of  which  the  taste  is  less  to  be  admired 
than  the  quantity.  The  gates  of  this  arch  are  of  thick  brass, 
highly  ornamented  with  raised  figures — and  such  is  the  vene- 
ration for  historical  circumstance,  that  a  large  cannon  ball  is 
suffered  to  remain  in  this  door,  which  in  some  war  had  burst 
almost  through,  bulging  and  tearing  open  the  thick  brass  by 
which  its  force  was  exhausted. 

Although  the  church  of  San  Martino  is  situated  within 
a  short  distance  back  of  Toledo  or  the  main  street,  yet  it  is  so 
high  up  the  mountain,  and  difficult  of  access,  that  to  reach  it 
by  means  of  a  carriage,  we  had  to  perform  a  very  long  course 
out  of  town,  and  then  back  again  up  the  mountain  to  the  gi- 
gantic masses  of  rock  and  masonry  which  compose  the  Cas- 
tle of  St.  Elmo;  thence,  descending  a  little,  we  arrived  at  the 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


59 


monastery  and  church  of  St.  Martino,  situated  immediately 
below  the  castle,  and  overlooking  the  city  and  bay. 

This  church,  which  on  the  outside  might  be  mistaken  for 
a  poor  house,  in  the  inside  is,  perhaps,  the  richest  and  most 
beautiful  thing  any  where  to  be  seen.  It  was  built  two  hun- 
dred years  ago,  and  is  entirely  covered  with  paintings  and  the 
richest  incrustations  of  marble.  The  marble  floors,  walls,  al- 
tars, and  arches,  in  which  the  colours  of  yellow  and  brown 
prevail,  are  all  inlaid  with  the  most  precious  stones  and  mar- 
bles of  every  colour,  in  various  fanciful  figures ;  the  whole 
highly  polished,  and  as  fresh  as  if  just  finished,  uninjured  by 
smoke  or  neglect.  The  church  abounds  in  sculpture,  all  by 
Vacari;  statues,  busts,  groups  of  angel  children,  and  bassi  re- 
lieve One  altar-piece  of  the  latter  is  the  most  extensive  and 
beautiful  composition  in  this  way  I  have  yet  seen.  In  one  of 
the  chapels  are  three  exquisitely  beautiful  pictures  by  Guido, 
the  last  of  his  works,  and  surpassing  all  others  by  the  glow 
and  harmony  of  the  colouring.  In  another  chapel  are  some 
beautiful  frescos  by  Finoglia,  as  clear  and  fresh  as  if  just 
executed,  which  probably  is  not  the  case  with  any  others  in 
all  Italy, 

From  a  terrace,  overlooking  the  convent  garden,  and  from 
a  balcony  at  the  end  of  the  corridors  of  the  convent,  in  two 
distinct  views,  you  look  down  upon  the  city,  which  appears 
like  a  rough  mass  of  stones,  divided  by  several  cracks,  which 
are  narrow  streets:  the  unseen  bustle  in  these  openings  sends 
up  a  confused  rumbling  of  intermingled  sounds.  The  dis- 
tance is  diversified  by  Vesuvius  and  other  mountains,  castles, 
palaces,  and  the  extensive  bay. 

From  this  height  we  descended  a  street,  formed  chiefly  of 
broad  steps  in  a  zigzag  course,  which  required  half  an  hour 
to  reach  the  bottom — overlooking,  as  we  descended,  a  num- 
ber of  terraced  houses  and  delightful  gardens,  fronting  on  the 
bay. 

Again,  entering  the  ever-green  and  ever-delightful  walks  of 
the  Villa  Realey  and,  passing  its  farthest  iron  gate-way,  we 


GO 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


remarked,  for  the  first  time,  a  number  of  the  kind  of  poor  idle 
people  answering  the  description  of  Lazzaroni,  chiefly  men 
and  boys,  with  a  few  women,  without  stockings  or  shoes, 
lounging  in  groups  along  the  pathway  and  amusing  themselves 
with  various  games  and  careless  gossip.  But  during  our  whole 
stay  in  Naples,  and  in  all  our  walks,  notwithstanding  the  won- 
derful accounts  of  the  eighty  thousand  Lazzaroni,  who  live 
in  the  streets  and  public  places,  we  could  never  be  sure, 
among  the  various  groups  of  ragged  idlers,  which,  or  whether 
any  of  them,  were  of  the  class  called  Lazzaroni. 

Not  much  farther  out  we  reached  the  subterranean  passage 
called  the  Grotto  of  Posilippo,  above  the  entrance  of  which, 
built  on  the  very  edge  of  what  appears  a  cleft  in  the  rocks, 
stands  the  tomb  of  Virgil.  To  see  this  we  had  to  ascend  the 
mountain  by  a  steep  zigzag  paved  street,  escorted  by  a  troop 
of  boys  with  naked  feet  and  uncombed  heads,  each  offering 
his  services  as  guide  or  cicerone  ;  but  we  encouraged  only  the 
first  applicant,  who  showed  great  anxiety  that  we  should 
drive  away  all  the  others.  When  we  reached  the  old  bat- 
tered gate,  within  which  our  object  lay,  by  repeated  knocks, 
inflicted  by  a  lump  of  lava,  an  old  woman  was  called,  who 
unlocked  the  premises  to  us  and  our  little  cicerone,  to  the 
great  disappointment  of  the  noisy  and  envious  urchins  who 
were  excluded.  She  conducted  us  up  and  down  a  romantic 
garden,  on  the  tops  and  in  the  cavities  of  the  rocks,  among 
cabbages  and  cauliflowers,  lettuce  and  radishes,  mulberry 
trees,  fig  trees,  and  grape  vines,  down  winding  paths  and  steps 
cut  out  of  the  solid  rock;  till  we  reached  the  precipice  before 
mentioned,  on  which  stands  the  old  circular  chamber  sup- 
posed to  be  the  tomb  of  Virgil.  It  appears  certainly  to  have 
been  a  tomb,  both  by  the  external  and  internal  formation. 
The  country  seats  on  these  rocks,  so  singularly  romantic,  and 
commanding  so  fine  a  prospect  of  the  bay,  were,  it  is  said,  the 
favourite  resort  of  the  rich,  and  may  have  been  the  residence 
and  burial  place  of  Virgil.  Before  leaving  the  garden  we 
were  conducted  to  a  projecting  spot,  furnished  with  conve- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


6i 


nient  seats,  whence  one  of  the  most  beautiful  views  of  Na- 
ples is  obtained. 

After  descending  to  the  road  again,  we  branched  off  a 
short  distance  to  the  subterranean  passage,  improperly  called 
a  Grotto.  It  is  really  a  tunnel  cut  through  the  mountain, 
about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  long,  in  some  places  fifty  or. 
sixty  feet  high,  and  wide  enough  for  three  carriages  to  pass 
abreast,  the  whole  well  paved  with  large  masses  of  lava,  and 
constantly  lighted  with  eleven  lamps,  which  are  suspended 
in  this  vast  galjery.  It  was,  no  doubt,  a  work  at  first  intend- 
ed to  effect  a  passage  through  the  mountain,  and  at  the  same 
time  to  obtain  stone  for  building;  but  was  not  originally  so 
deep,  as  may  be  proved  by  the  evidence  of  furrows,  made  by 
the  wheels  of  carriages,  in  successive  rows,  descending  in 
proportion  as  the  excavation  was  made  lower,  to  the  level  of 
the  streets  on  the  water's  edge.  Several  carriages  rolled  their 
thunder  through  these  arches  whilst  we  were  within;  but  we 
had  no  difficulty  in  avoiding  them,  as  we  could  distinctly  see 
them  on  the  bright  openings  at  either  end,  and  by  the  lamps 
midway.  Two  herds  of  goats  likewise  passed  through,  and 
some  rough  Neapolitan  songsters,  who  made  the  arches  echo 
with  their  boisterous  harmony  and  coarse  laughter. 

In  the  church  of  Trinita  Maggiore  I  was  gratified  by  see- 
ing a  fine  and  most  extensive  fresco  painting'  by  Solimene, 
representing  Heliodorus  driven  out  of  the  Temple.  This 
church  is  extremely  rich  in  coloured  marbles  and  sculpture. 
In  the  open  square  opposite  stands  a  high,  quadrangular,  and 
grotesque  obelisk,  elaborately  carved  with  scrolls,  medallions, 
bassi  relievi,  cherubs,  and  statues,  all  in  marble,  but  in  a  bad 
and  costly  style. 

In  rambling  from  this,  we  passed  through  some  of  the  busy 
streets,  but  little  frequented  by  travellers,  which  afforded  us  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  the  people,  as  they  live  and  work  in  dirt 
and  darkness,  though  apparently  healthy  and  happy.  Here 
a  poor  ass  fell  down  under  a  heavy  load,  cut  its  side,  and  dis- 
located its  hind  leg.    As  soon  as  the  poor  man,  who  led  him, 


4 


62 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


saw  this,  he  looked  sadly,  then  sobbed  aloud,  and  burst  into 
the  most  piteous  grief  and  lamentations,  crying  like  a  child, 
as  he  perceived  that  his  fellow  labourer  was  unable  to  move 
his  limb. 

Passing  out  of  one  of  the  gates  of  the  city,  between  two 
great  round  towers,  which  occur  at  sliort  intervals,  intermin- 
gled with  buildings  which  hide  all  the  walls,  we  saw  several 
carcases  of  dogs,  and  were  told  that  persons  are  employed 
by  the  police,  at  night,  to  kill  every  dog  they  find  at  large,  by 
knocking  them  down  with  thick  clubs ;  and  that  recently  a 
poor  child,  who  was  lying  asleep  at  one  of  the  corners,  was 
thus  killed  by  being  mistaken  for  a  dog. 

Here  we  saw  about  a  hundred  merry  washerwomen,  on  a 
stone  platform  or  gallery  a  little  raised  from  the  side  of  the 
street,  washing  their  clothes  in  a  stream  which  flowed  in  a 
broad  stone  channel,  as  wide  and  as  rapid  as  an  ordinary  mill 
race. 

The  Neapolitans  speak  with  great  gesticulation,  and  make 
use  of  many  actions  and  signs,  which  have  a  known  meaning 
even  without  the  aid  of  words.  In  a  wide  street  we  re- 
marked two  women  conversing  by  signs,  obliquely  across, 
having  a  string  passing  from  one  window  to  the  other,  and  at 
each  end  a  bell,  with  which  to  announce  their  desire  to  con- 
verse, which  they  effectually  do,  notwithstanding  the  noise  be- 
low and  the  distance  above.  This  sort  of  intercourse  is  com- 
mon here.  Another,  from  her  little  balcony  at  her  fifth  story, 
for  almost  every  window  has  its  little  iron  balcony,  was  raising 
something  up  in  a  little  basket  which  she  had  lowered  to  the 
ground  to  save  herself  the  trouble  of  descending. 

Macaroni  and  Naples  are  almost  synonymous.  It  is  sur- 
prising how  much  of  this  food  is  manufactured  in  the  skirts 
of  the  city.  Your  attention  is  invited  to  the  article  by  the 
quantities,  of  all  diameters,  cut  into  lengths  of  three  feet, 
which  are  hung  out  on  sticks  to  dry  like  thin  candles.  The 
filthy  streets  and  houses  in  which  this  singular,  tough,  wire- 
drawn, tubular  dough  was  thus  exposed,  effectually  sup- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


63 


pressed  all  desire  to  eat  of  it  myself,  but  I  was  amused  in 
seeing  it  eaten  in  the  streets  at  stalls,  where  it  is  cooked 
and  given  out  in  platters  to  humble  purchasers,  who  take 
it  up  with  their  fingers;  and,  stretching  out  their  necks, 
with  open  mouth  suck  it  in,  in  a  most  amusing  manner. 

It  is  amusing  to  see  molasses  candy  manufactured  in  the 
streets  at  little  portable  stalls,  where  a  man  is  seen  drawing 
out  and  plaiting  his  yellow  wax,  until  it  acquires  the  bright- 
est colour,  and  a  delicacy  and  brittleness  of  texture  to  tempt 
many  an  urchin  purchaser.  Molasses  is  one  of  the  rarest 
articles  in  Italy,  and  seldom  can  be  found  in  the  shops. 

After  witnessing  the  masses  of  beggary  and  wretched- 
ness which  constitutes  a  great  proportion  of  the  population 
of  Naples,  you  are  not  surprised  that  there  should  be  some 
institution  for  its  alleviation;  but  when  you  find  yourself 
in  front  of  the  Mbergo  dei  poverty  you  see  it  a  bright  and 
magnificent  palace.  Its  broad  front  covers  a  most  extensive 
back  foundation  and  court  yard.  Only  a  part  is  finished; 
but  that  part  is  a  vast  building,  containing  several  thousands 
of  poor  men,  women,  boys,  and  girls;  who  are  fed,  clothed, 
and  taught  to  read,  write,  and  cipher,  and  some  useful  art 
or  trade.  One  school  room  that  we  entered  was  filled  with 
boys  who  were  learning  the  elements  of  drawing.  A  num- 
ber of  rooms  were  severally  devoted  to  spinning,  weaving, 
tailoring,  shoe-making,  &c;  the  young  learning  from  the 
old,  and  the  whole  under  the  charge  of  head  workmen  as 
directors.  Immense  corridors  intersect  the  building,  and 
afford  ample  space  for  air  and  exercise,  and  there  are  great 
halls  to  eat  and  sleep  in.  Neater  rooms,  better  beds,  and 
good  blankets  are  given  to  those  boys,  who  by  their  con- 
duct merit  such  a  reward. 

From  the  windows  of  this  hotel  of  the  poor,  we  looked 
down  into  the  beautiful  walks  of  the  Botanic  Garden,  which 
is  open  at  times  to  the  public. 

We  had  some  difficulty  in  finding  the  Capella  di  S.  Severo, 
which  externally  has  nothing  of  the  appearance  of  a  church, 


64 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


and  within  is  only,  a  small  room;  but  one  filled  with  notable 
objects,  some  of  which  have  gained  extraordinary  reputation. 
The  figure  of  Modesty  and  that  of  the  Dead  Christ  are  cer- 
tainly objects  of  some  merit,  in  as  much  as  they  are  produc- 
tions of  considerable  art,  and  great  difficulty;  yet  I  am  im- 
pressed by  them  as  imperfect  efforts  to  accomplish  what  is 
entirely  beyond  the  province  of  sculpture.  The  figure  of 
Modesty,  notwithstanding  the  extravagant  praise  it  has  re- 
ceived, appears  to  me  to  be  a  vain  attempt  to  represent  the 
transparency  of  gauze.  The  dead  body  of  Christ  is  some- 
thing better,  as  represented  covered  by  a  fine  drapery.  It  is 
a  nearer  approach  to  nature,  and  in  some  parts  excellently 
represents  the  form  of  the  human  body  as  perceived  under  a 
thin  and  wet  drapery,  some  parts  of  the  figure  being  hid  by 
the  folds,  while  it  adheres  to  others,  so  as  to  show  the  form 
as  if  nothing  were  on  it;  but  it  is  fanciful  to  talk  of  the 
sweat  of  death.  It  is  said  that  Canova  offered  to  buy  this 
statue  for  its  weight  in  silver.  It  is  not  probable,  as  he  could 
easily  have  made  one  quite  as  good. 

The  statue  by  the  sculptor  Queirola,  however,  is  one  of 
the  rarest  productions  of  the  chisel.  It  represents  Vice, 
enveloped  in  a  net,  looking  earnestly  at  a  little  boy,  the  Ge- 
nius of  Reason,  who  is  about  to  relieve  him.  The  face,  bo- 
som, and  one  arm  of  the  man  are  exposed  ;  the  rest  of  his 
figure  is  covered  with  a  net,  which  represents  a  cord  little 
more  than  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick,  tied  into  knots,  and 
forming  meshes  about  an  inch  and  a  half  wide.  The  entire 
form  of  the  man  is  represented  beneath  this  network,  and 
the  net  itself  is  completely  cut  out  with  all  its  folds,  in  some 
parts  touching  the  figure,  and  in  others  detached,  waving,  or 
accumulated  in  masses  as  it  hangs  from  the  head,  back  and 
arms;  altogether  forming  the  most  elaborate  and  singular 
piece  of  sculpture  that  can  be  imagined. 

The  Cathedral  of  St.  Januarius  is  generally  described 
with  great  minuteness  as  being  founded  on  an  ancient  temple 
of  Apollo,  of  which  it  preserves  some  records  in  various  co- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


C5 


lumns,  that  support  the  rich  ceiling  of  the  chapel  heneath 
the  great  altar,  and  on  each  side  of  the  chapel  called  the 
Treasury.  An  antique  vase  of  basalt,  about  four  and  a  half 
feet  diameter,  is  used  as  a  baptismal  font,  being  placed  on  a 
modern  pedestal  of  granite,  and  covered  with  a  hood  of 
marble. 

This  church,  called  Gothic,  is  very  slightly  in  imitation  of 
that  style,  but  it  retains  some  portions  of  an  older  church 
which  was  Gothic.  A  statue  in  the  subterranean  chapel  is 
said  to  be  by  Michael  Angelo,  of  which  the  head  is  good,  but 
the  drapery  so  bad,  that  I  should  doubt  its  authenticity. 

From  the  body  of  the  church,  the  archway  which  opens 
into  the  chapel  of  St.  Januarius,  is  about  twenty-five  feet 
high,  and  is  entirely  filled  up  with  immense  brass  work, 
the  lower  part  opening  as  doors,  which  cost  thirty-five  thou- 
sand ducats.  As  soon  as  the  mass  was  over,  a  priest  prof- 
fered his  services  to  show  us  the  paintings,  and  precious  ob- 
jects, which  are  kept  under  cover,  or  locked  up.  Four  altar 
pieces,  much  valued  as  the  work  of  Domenichino,  are,  like 
almost  all  his  oil  paintings,  so  very  brown  and  dark,  that  we 
could  perceive  very  little  more  than  some  good  heads  and 
bad  hands;  the  figures  and  countenances,  however,  are  ani- 
mated by  great  expression.  The  ceiling,  by  Lanfranco,  is 
much  damaged,  but  the  other  frescos,  by  Domenichino,  are 
very  fine  and  fresh. 

In  addition  to  the  antique  columns  taken  from  the  Temple 
of  Apollo,  the  numerous  bronze  statues,  the  sculptured  and  in- 
laid marbles,  and  the  highly  wrought,  beautiful  gates  which 
lead  to  the  three  great  altars, — the  chief  wealth  of  the  cha- 
pel consists  in  splendid  silver  candelabra  and  lamps,  silver 
angels,  and  a  silver  frontispiece  to  the  altar  which  cost  twen- 
ty-four thousand  dollars.  This  piece  is  a  deeply  sunken  ta- 
blet, containing  figure  behind  figure  in  full  alto  relievo,  on 
a  ground  of  basso  relievo,  of  most  curious  and  elaborate 
workmanship.  Only  a  part  of  these  silver  ornaments  of  the 
great  altar  was  uncovered  to  us.    Behind  the  altar  we  were 

9 


66 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


shown  the  silver  doors  within  which,  secured  by  four  locks, 
are  preserved  the  head  and  two  phials  of  the  blood  of  the 
guardian  saint  of  Naples. 

From  this  chapel  we  were  conducted  through  the  rich  and 
gorgeous  sacristy  into  a  chamber,  lined  with  large  cases, 
which  were  opened  to  us.  The  veils  were  withdrawn,  and 
by  the  light  of  a  candle  we  were  shown  two  entire  statues, 
thirty-six  colossal  busts  or  rather  half  statues,  having  the 
hands,  and  supported  on  great  allegorical  bases,  all  of  silver; 
which  are  displayed  around  the  great  altar  on  particular  fes- 
tivals. 

Directly  opposite  this  chapel,  across  the  body  of  the  ca- 
thedral, we  entered  the  old  church  of  St.  JRestituta,  where 
we  were  shown  other  columns  of  the  temple  of  Apollo  and 
the  ruinous  mosaic  on  the  ceiling  of  the  baptistry,  which,  it 
is  said,  represents  historical  events;  but  their  history  to  our 
eyes  was  nothing  more  than  dark  illegible  blotches. 

These  churches  and  chapels  are  rilled  with  ancient  tombs 
and  curiosities, which  it  would  require  a  long  time  to  examine; 
but  with  our  guide,  of  whose  Italian  we  understood  but  lit- 
tle, it  was  difficult  to  make  out  what  they  were.  I  could  not 
but  be  surprised  that  among  the  priesthood,  we  had  found 
none  acquainted  with  the  French  language.  The  priest  who 
had  acted  as  cicerone,  did  not  refuse  to  receive  our  parting 
gift  in  return  for  his  politeness. 

For  the  purpose  of  visiting  the  Royal  Palace,  Capo  di 
Monte,  we  again  crossed  the  noble  bridge  of  the  Sanita ;  as- 
cended the  road,  cut  by  order  of  Murat  through  great  masses 
of  the  rocky  mountain,  winding  delightfully  on  its  sides;  and 
enjoyed  the  view  of  Naples  with  its  country  seats  in  the  dis- 
tance. This  beautiful  road  reaches  to  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tain in  front  of  the  palace.  That  edifice  is  delightfully  situ- 
ated directly  above  the  head  of  the  bay,  which,  from  this 
spot,  in  calm  weather,  presents  its  noblest  aspect.  The  pa^ 
lace,  chiefly  built  of  lava,  is  not  entirely  finished ;  but  the 
apartments,  occasionally  used  by  the  king,  are  elegantly  fur* 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


67 


nished  and  embellished  with  some  paintings  by  modern  ar- 
tists, particularly  two  large  historical  pieces  by  Camucini 
and  Landi  of  Rome — but  I  thought  the  colouring  too  gay 
and  unnatural,  and  the  compositions  disfigured  by  the  extra- 
vagances of  the  theatre,  and  the  peculiarities  of  ancient  bas- 
so relievo.  Here  is  a  beautiful  picture  in  tapestry  from  the 
manufacture  of  the  Gobelins  at  Paris,  representing  Admiral 
Coligny  before  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew's  day.  In 
one  of  the  rooms  is  a  case  filled  with  birth-day  presents  to 
the  king;  and  an  elegant  table  supporting  a  sumptuous  bird- 
cage, with  globes  for  fishes,  and  grates  for  charcoal  fires. 
The  room  in  which  stands  his  writing  table  is  filled  with 
English  prints  of  hunting  scenes. 

The  observatory  is  situated  on  this  mountain,  where,  from 
a  balcony,  we  enjoyed  a  most  delightful  view  of  Naples ; 
comprising  the  body  of  the  town  below,  Vesuvius  on  the  left, 
and  the  mountainous  castle  of  St.  Elmo  on  the  right.  In  the 
garden  attached  to  the  observatory,  on  the  summit  of  the 
hill,  we  remarked  some  excavations,  which  showed,  in  the 
depth  of  six  feet,  with  intermediate  strata  of  soil,  no  less 
than  six  layers  of  fine  pumice  stone  deposited  from  the  ir- 
ruptions of  Vesuvius  in  some  remote  periods  of  time. 

Another  rainy  day  was  well  employed  in  the  Museum^  ex- 
amining the  antiquities  of  Herculaneum  and  Pompeii.  We 
commenced  with  a  collection  of  gold  bracelets,  chains,  ear 
and  finger  rings,  &c,  most  of  them  rudely  massive,  particu- 
larly the  bracelets,  some  of  which  consisted  of  a  double  row 
of  rounded  masses  of  gold,  like  sections  of  bullets.  In  one 
case,  by  themselves,  were  the  elegant  bracelets,  ear  and  fin- 
ger rings,  and  neck  chain  of  a  lady  whose  skull  and  bones 
are  shown  in  another  room,  together  with  impressions  of  va- 
rious parts  of  her  figure  in  the  matter  by  which  she  was 
smothered,  in  the  villa  of  Diomedes  at  Pompeii.  She  had 
taken  refuge  in  a  cellar  from  the  falling  ashes  or  fine  pumice 
of  the  burning  mountain,  but  by  a  reflux  of  the  sea,  which  a 
torrent  of  lava  had  driven  back,  the  pumice  became  a  wave 


68 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


of  mud,  and,  pouring  down  the  windows  of  the  cellar,  over- 
whelmed her  and  some  others  of  the  family. 

Another  case  contains  a  curious  collection  of  eatables, 
which,  having  been  suddenly  surrounded  with  melted  red  hot 
lava  that  flowed  into  the  stores,  chambers,  and  kitchens  of 
Herculaneum,  were  converted  into  charcoal.  The  atmos- 
pheric air  being  excluded  till  the  lava  cooled,  prevented  the 
articles  being  reduced  to  ashes.  In  no  other  manner  could 
such  delicate  substances  have  been  preserved  for  such  a 
length  of  time.  Here  is  seen  the  charcoal  form  of  a  loaf 
of  bread,  neatly  fashioned  into  radiating  lobes,  on  one  of 
which  is  impressed  the  baker's  name ;  a  plate  of  eggs,  or 
rather  egg-shells,  some  of  which  are  not  broken,  retain  their 
natural  whiteness ;  preserved  in  glass  vases  are  samples  of  a 
great  variety  of  carbonized  articles,  found  in  stores  and  pri- 
vate houses;  a  thread  net  for  boiling  cabbages;  figs,  prunes, 
olives,  dates,  nuts  of  various  kinds;  retaining  the  most  mi- 
nute characteristics  of  their  external  forms,  though  all  re- 
duced to  one  quality  of  imperishable  charcoal. 

In  the  room  where  those  articles  are,  is  a  magnificent  Ca- 
meo, said  to  be  the  largest  in  the  world,  wrought  out  of  a  sin- 
gle piece  of  agate,  about  nine  or  ten  inches  in  diameter.  It 
is  a  composition  of  seven  figures,  representing  the  apotheosis 
of  the  first  Ptolemy — white  figures  on  a  brown  ground.  The 
piece  of  agate  was  so  selected  as  to  enclose  a  white  vein 
down  to  which  the  artist  had  to  cut,  leaving  a  circular  border 
as  a  frame,  and  working  his  figures  out  of  the  white,  relieved 
by  the  deeper  mass  of  brown.  The  brown  base  continues 
to  the  back,  on  which  is  wrought  a  fine  Medusa's  head.  The 
frame  part  consists  of  the  most  beautiful  veined  agate.  I 
never  could  look  at  this  splendid  combination  of  nature  and 
art,  without  an  extraordinary  emotion  of  delight.  It  was 
found  at  Rome,  in  the  tomb  of  Adrian.  It  stands  in  an  erect 
position,  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  under  a  glass  case,  and 
has  a  screw  and  pinion  to  turn  it  round. 

A  bucket,  mortar,  basins,  skellets,  mugs,  cups,  &c,  all  of 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


69 


silver,  richly  ornamented  with  bassi  relievi,  fill  another  case. 
Among  the  ornaments  of  gold,  is  a  beautiful  little  model  of  a 
lady's  reticle,  like  those  of  the  present  day.  Here  are,  also, 
a  variety  of  colours,  such  as  were  used  in  fresco  painting, 
which  were  found  in  pots  in  a  painter's  shop  at  Pompeii. 

One  chamber  is  filled  with  a  vast  variety  of  articles  made 
of  glass,  of  which  substance  it  was  supposed  the  ancients 
were  ignorant,  consisting  of  plates  for  window  lights,  bottles, 
jars,  mugs,  phials,  dishes,  cups,  lamps,  &c.  Some  only  blown 
into  their  shapes,  others  moulded,  and  some  afterwards  ground. 
These -glasses  are  of  every  possible  form,  and  have  a  beauti- 
ful mother-of-pearl  appearance,  occasioned  by  the  heat  to 
which  they  have  been  subjected.  One  of  them  has  been 
carefully  cleaned,  and  is  found  to  be  precisely  like  our  com- 
mon green  glass ;  yet  there  are  some  articles  of  perfectly 
white,  or  rather  colourless,  glass,  and  others  of  a  fine  deep 
blue.  There  is  a  great  assortment  of  little  glass  phials,  of  the 
kind  which  it  is  customary  to  call  lacrymatories,  which  were 
found  in  a  shop  in  Pompeii.  An  attempt  to  catch  the  tears 
of  grief  in  these  slender-mouthed  vessels,  would  effectually 
disturb  the  sentiment  and  restrain  the  flood.  It  is  much 
more  reasonable  to  believe  that  these  little  vessels,  whether 
of  glass  or  earthenware,  which  are  found  in  sepulchral  vases, 
were  used  for  odoriferous  liquids.  Here,  also,  are  several 
large  glass  vases,  of  a  globular  form,  found  in  tombs  contain- 
ing bones  and  ashes  of  the  dead — a  rude  kind  of  caster,  made 
of  lava,  containing  two  bottles — several  glass  vases  of  mixed 
colours,  black  and  white,  the  white  being  in  oblong  blotches 
— tumblers  of  a  long  shape,  with  raised  knobs  or  depressed 
grooves,  or  else  indented  at  four  opposite  sides  into  great  ca- 
vities— and  a  hexagon  plate  with  flat  edges,  the  bowl  resem- 
bling our  soup  plate,  moulded  and  perfectly  well  ground. 
Altogether  there  are  two  thousand  six  hundred  specimens  of 
glasses.  In  the  same  room  a  case  contains  a  variety  of  objects 
of  wrought  rock  crystal,  a  spoon,  necklace,  &c.  A  series  of 
rooms  is  appropriated  to  articles  of  kitchen  furniture;  there  are 


70 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


various  portable  fire-places,  most  of  which  have  hollow  bor- 
ders to  contain  water,  which  was  kept  hot  by  the  fire  (proba- 
bly charcoal)  used  in  cooking,  and,  at  the  same  time,  prevent- 
ed the  fire-place  from  becoming  red  hot,  while  the  water  was 
drawn  off,  by  a  stop-cock,  at  one  side ;  cylindrical  furnaces, 
also  double,  to  hold  water,  with  a  kettle,  fitting  into  the  top, 
for  boiling  and  stewing ;  brass  stew-pans,  lined  with  silver, 
and  pots  of  every  size  and  shape,  many  of  which  are  of  so- 
lid silver,  but  generally  of  brass,  lined  with  silver,  as  if  the 
unwholesbmeness  of  brass  and  copper  was  known ;  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  bronze  candelabra  about  four  feet  high;  con- 
fectionary moulds  of  various  and  beautiful  forms  ;  strainers 
with  silver  bottoms,  finely  and  beautifully  pierced ;■  an  ele- 
gant hand-lanthorn ;  a  variety  of  bronze  scales  and  weights 
of  stone;  and  steelyards,  the  weights  of  which  represent  busts 
of  men  and  women ;  and  lamps  of  every  size  and  pattern, 
suspended  on  tripods,  in  groups  of  various  forms,  and  larger 
massive  lamps  that  were  hung  in  halls  and  passages. 

The  next  room  contains  about  two  thousand  articles  of 
bronze,  many  of  which  were  found  in  temples,  and  used  in 
the  ceremonies  of  sacrifice,  consisting  of  large  and  elegant 
vases  and  dishes,  inlaid  with  silver;  a  multitude  of  little  domes- 
tic or  portable  gods ;  a  tea  urn,  exactly  like  those  of  our  times, 
with  a  tube  in  the  centre  to  hold  a  hot  iron,  surrounded  by 
the  water ;  a  handsome  consular  chair,  couches,  and  seats  of 
honour,  which  have  served  as  patterns  for  the  modern  fa- 
shions of  Paris ;  a  water  bucket,  the  handles  of  which,  in 
two  segments,  hinged  at  the  centre,  constitute  an  ornamental 
rim,  studded  with  silver;  and  a  great  variety  of  mugs,  &c. 

A  dark  room  contains  many  curious  and  some  elegant  spe- 
cimens of  armour-^-helmets,  breast-plates,  shields,  axes, 
spears,  locks,  nails,  hinges,,  &c,  of  iron  and  bronze;  and  iron 
stocks,  in  which  were  found  the  legs,  with  the  skeletons,  of 
three  men,  who  must 'have  been  suffering  this  punishment 
when  the  city  of  Pompeii  was  destroyed.  A  splendidly 
wrought  helmet,  found  in  Herculaneum,  and  weighing  thirty- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


71 


three  pounds,  too  large  and  heavy  for  use,  is  supposed  to  have 
been  made  for  some  ornamental  purpose;  the  high-raised 
figures  on  it  represent  the  Trojan  war. 

Beyond  these  are  various  musical  instruments,  of  bronze, 
ivory,  and  bone;  tables  of  laws  deeply  cut  in  brass;  ivory  tic- 
kets of  admission  to  the  theatre;  dice;  brass  fish-hooks;  re- 
ticles of  ivory  and  bronze,  belonging  to  a  lady's  toilet  table ; 
bronze  mirrors,  &c. 

Finally,  other  apartments  are  filled  with  an  immense, 
elegant,  and  varied  collection  of  vases,  made  of  baked  clay, 
of  all  sizes,  and  in  every  imaginable  form,  ornamented  with 
figures,  many  of  which  are  beautifully  outlined,  and  descrip- 
tive of  histories,  fables,  and  festivals.  These  vases  served  as 
articles  of  decoration  in  dwelling-houses,  and  were  afterwards 
entombed  with  their  owners,  as  represented  in  small  models 
of  tombs,  in  the  same  apartment.  Two  of  these  vases  are 
very  large,  and  the  figures  on  them  drawn  with  great  beauty 
and  accuracy;  they  were  purchased  for  this  cabinet  for  ele- 
ven hundred  dollars,  and  one  other  for  no  less  than  four  thou- 
sand five  hundred  dollars.  Here  are  various  drinking  cups, 
shaped  like  the  heads  of  sheep,  horses,  and  birds. 

The  walls  of  two  large  apartments,  on  the  ground  floor, 
are  covered  with  fresco  paintings  taken  from  Pompeii.  One 
of  the  rooms  contains  such  pieces  as  were  procured  on  the 
first  discovery  of  the  mysterious  city;  which,  happening  to 
be  in  a  part  inhabited  by  tradesmen,  did  not  furnish  the  most 
elegant  specimens  of  the  arts.  The  judgments  which  were 
consequently  propagated  from  one  antiquarian  critic  to  ano- 
ther, were  unfavourable  to  the  ancient  painters,  who  were 
pronounced  inferior  to  cotemporary  sculptors,  and  ignorant 
of  grouping,  foreshortening,  and  perspective.  Later,  and  es- 
pecially recent  excavations,  or  rather  disinterments,  have  for- 
tunately been  in  a  direction  across  the  vineyard  to  a  more 
sumptuous  portion  of  the  city,  where  splendid  temples,  halls 
of  justice,  theatres,  and  spacious  dwellings  gave  occasion  for 
the  best  employment  of  the  arts.    Here  not  only  the  finest 


72 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


statues  have  been  found,  but  fresco  paintings  of  great  excel- 
lence and  beauty;  particularly  four  of  a  square  form,  on  a 
circular  ground,  (forming  part  of  a  circular  room,)  which  are 
of  uncommon  merit,  and  most  decisively  indicate  the  high 
state  of  painting,  as  it  was  practised  in  Greece  and  Italy  at 
the  same  period  when  these  statues  were  executed,  which 
evinced  such  perfect  knowledge  of  the  human  form  and  the 
principles  of  grouping.  The  best  of  these  paintings  have  been 
only  recently  discovered,  and  prove  that  the  ancient  paint- 
ers were  perfectly  acquainted  with  the  rules  of  perspective 
and  foreshortening.  I  have  no  doubt,  from  these  beautiful 
works,  done  on  walls,  mostly  by  inferior  artists,  that,  on  other 
occasions,  as  in  moveable  pictures,  their  best  painters  must 
have  painted  in  a  manner  to  correspond  with  the  high  rank 
of  their  sculpture,  and  the  extraordinary  accounts  given  of 
them  by  cotemporary  writers. 

These  specimens  of  ancient  fresco  painting  have  been  cut 
out  of  the  walls,  where  they  were  executed,  with  great  care, 
and  transported  here  in  strong  cases,  which  serve  as  frames. 
When  first  found,  they  are  pale  and  dull j  but,  on  being  var- 
nished, their  colours  are  brightened  up  to  their  pristine  hues, 
and  exhibit  to  the  astonished  eye  every  stroke  of  the  brush, 
slightly  indenting  the  fresh  mortar,  which  was  given  by  hands 
that  perished,  with  the  genius  that  directed  them,  nearly  eigh- 
teeen  hundred  years  ago,  yet  appearing  as  the  rich  and  mel- 
low pencilling  of  yesterday.  Most  of  them  are  taken  from 
shops  and  ordinary  houses,  and  represent  all  kinds  of  objects, 
drawn  with  remarkable  spirit  and  truth.  Many  of  the  better 
kind  served  to  decorate  apartments  in  which  there  were  no 
windows,  where  they  must  have  been  executed,  and  after- 
wards seen  only  by  lamp-light.  But  the  best  were  found  in 
the  porticos  of  open  court-yards,  or  on  the  walls  of  dining- 
rooms  or  saloons.  In  looking  closely  into  these,  I  was  sur- 
prised to  find  such  spirited  execution  and  knowledge  of  ana- 
tomy, combined  with  the  most  exquisite  beauty,  perfection  of 
drawing,  colouring,  and  expression  of  character. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


73 


January  20th. 

This  being  the  first  clear  day,  when  we  could  depend  on 
the  continuance  of  fair  weather,  it  was  decided  to  go  at  an  early 
hour  to  Pompeii.  We,  therefore,  took  carriage  and  proceed- 
ed along  the  water  side,  describing  a  semicircle  round  the  head 
of  the  bay,  on  a  well-paved  road,  through  a  continuous  succes- 
sion of  houses  which  served  to  connect  the  villages  of  Resina, 
Portici,  Torre  del  Greco,  and  Torre  del  Annunciata.  On  one 
side,  the  morning  sun  glittered  from  the  broad  surface  of  the 
tranquil  bay,  and,  on  the  other,  rose  to  the  volcanic  mountain 
a  soil  of  great  fertility,  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation,  and 
producing  the  greatest  abundance  of  every  kind  of  vegetable, 
as  if  it  were  summer. 

Great  droves  of  fat  black  hogs  were  on  the  road  to  Naples, 
and  a  multitudinous  succession  of  peasants,  brown  as  Indians, 
and  ragged  and  patched  as  beggars,  were  merrily  driving  their 
provision-loaded  asses  to  market.  In  every  village,  swarms 
of  lazy,  idle  people  filled  the  streets  and  market  places,  and 
the  most  importunate  beggars  beset  the  carriage,  scampering 
alongside  to  a  great  distance,  affecting  the  greatest  misery  un- 
til they  discovered  we  were  aware  of  their  artifices ;  when 
they  would  still  run  on,  and  strive,  by  amusing  tricks,  to  ex- 
tort some  contribution. 

At  Portici  the  road  passes  through  the  court-yard  of  the 
palace ;  but  we  could  not  stop  to  see  the  apartments,  which 
are  still  preserved  as  they  were  furnished  and  occupied  by 
the  unfortunate  Murat  and  his  tasteful  queen.  The  curiosi- 
ties of  Herculaneum  and  Pompeii  were  preserved  and  exhi, 
bited  here,  before  they  were  removed  to  the  noble  depository 
of  the  arts,  established  by  the  policy  of  the  present  king. 

10 


74 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


At  length  we  approached  Pompeii,  covered,  as  it  still  is  in 
great  part,  with  the  cinders  of  Vesuvius,  and  coated  with  a 
cultivated  soil,  resembling  a  regular  and  extensive  bank  or 
elevated  plain.  This  is  surrounded  by  a  lower  plain,  not 
much  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  which  formerly  flowed  to 
the  walls;  but  the  ashes,  which  made  one  great  mound  of  the 
city,  filled  up  the  neighbouring  waters,  and  over  them  there 
is  now  a  rich  and  productive  soil. 

The  excavation,  or  rather  uncovering  of  Pompeii,  com- 
menced on  the  side  next  to  Naples.  Here  live  a  soldier  and 
his  family,  employed  by  the  government  as  guardians  of  the 
city  and  guides  to  those  who  visit  it.  We  entered  on  a  level 
with  the  road,  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  lower  than  the  hill  or 
bank  which  has  been  removed  to  clear  out  the  streets  and 
houses.  This  removal  has  been  effected  to  scarcely  one-third 
of  the  whole  extent.  The  residue  is  still  a  vineyard  with 
farm  houses  over  streets  and  buildings  yet  to  be  explored. 

The  first  house  which  was  shown  to  us  was  the  Villa  of 
Diomedes,  of  considerable  extent,  comprising  a  variety  of 
apartments  and  gardens.  We  descended  into  his  wine  cellar, 
where  there  still  remain  some  of  the  jars  that  contained  his 
wine.  In  this  spacious  cellar  seventeen  skeletons  were  found, 
probably  persons  of  his  family  who  had  sought  this  place  for 
safety.  They  were  smothered  and  entombed,  with  all  their 
ornaments  of  gold  upon  them,  by  the  flood  of  hot  water  and 
ashes,  which  had  evidently  flowed  in  through  the  little  win- 
dows where  light  had  been  admitted,  and  where  the  traces  of 
the  fluid  may  still  be  seen. 

We  passed  through  the  suburbs,  on  each  side  of  whose 
narrow  streets  are  walls  with  doors  leading  to  small  enclo- 
sures, as  burial  places.  Some  of  these  having  elegants  tombs 
of  sculptured  marble,  rising  high  above  the  walls,  and  cover- 
ing little  chambers,  where,  in  small  niches,  were  found  the 
vases  of  glass  and  porcelain  which  are  now  preserved  in  the 
Museum  at  Naples. 

We  entered  the  gate-way  of  the  silent  city,  and  remained 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


75 


some  moments  ourselves  in  sympathetic  silence ;  we  occu- 
pied the  pavement  of  the  deserted  street,  and  examined  the 
furrows  made  in  the  hard  gray  lava,  by  carriage  wheels, 
nearly  eighteen  centuries  ago ;  we  stood  on  the  raised  foot- 
way, and  could  not  forbear  looking  up  and  down,  as  if  to 
be  assured  of  the  fact  that  there  remained  no  inhabitants  to 
be  thus  "accommodated ;  we  stopped  at  the  fountains  which 
were  conveniently  situated  where  several  streets  meet;  we 
looked  into  the  shops  where  wine  and  oil  or  other  com- 
modities had  been  sold ;  we  entered  the  rooms  where  still 
stood  the  hand-mills  for  grinding  corn,  and  the  ovens,  close 
by,  for  baking  bread,  and  saw  the  very  jars  which  contained 
the  meal. 

The  houses  were  generally  of  only  one  story,  though,  in  a 
few  instances,  we  found  a  small  stair-way  leading  to  some  upper 
apartments.  They  consist  of  a  great  many  small  rooms  sur- 
rounding a  court-yard,  with  a  kind  of  piazza  all  around,  as  a 
protection  against  the  sun  and  rain.  This  shed  must  have 
very  much  obscured  the  light,  which  Was  not  admitted  from 
the  streets,  unless  sky  lights  were  used,  which  was  probably 
often  the  case;  though  it  is  commonly  believed  that  as  no  signs 
of  windows  appear,  outside  or  inside,  that  the  light  was  only 
admitted  by  the  door.  In  the  shops,  the  whole  front  was 
open  ;  a  fashion  which  still  prevails  in  the  old  cities  of  Italy. 

Some  of  the  streets  which  appear  to  have  been  subject  to 
overflow  by  sudden  showers,  are  furnished  with  broad  oval 
stepping  stones,  worn  smooth  by  crossing  on  them.  We  felt 
an  impulse  to  tread  in  the  footsteps,  apparently  so  recent,  of 
the  ancient  Pompeiians;  and  to  examine  the  marks  of  carriage 
wheels  between  these  stones,  which  attracted  little  notice 
when  they  were  made,  but  which  now  serve  to  prove  that 
the  wheels  of  the  ancient  carriages,  or  cars,  were  only  four 
feet  apart. 

Many  private  houses  were  accommodated  with  conveni- 
ences for  hot  and  cold  bathing;  but  we  were  conducted 
through  two  which  were  for  the  public  use,  one  of  which 


76 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


must  have  been  very  elegant,  the  arched  ceilings  being  richly 
decorated  with  paintings  and  bassi  relievi  in  stucco.  Beneath 
a  sky-light  opening,  the  broken  window  glass  was  found, 
which,  I  believe,  was  the  first  evidence  of  glass  being  used 
by  the  ancients  for  that  purpose.  Here  are  convenient  fur- 
naces for  boiling  the  water,  and  tubes  to  conduct  it  into  the 
various  chambers,  places  to  undress  in,  and  steps  to  descend 
into  the  cisterns.  The  walls  are  hollow,  probably  for  the 
passage  of  hot  air,  the  inner  lining  being  made  of  thin  bricks 
built  up  on  their  edges;  and  there  are  passages  under  the  Mo- 
saic pavements  for  hot  water  or  steam. 

In  two  private  court-yards  we  were  shown  gaily  decorated 
fountains,  in  alcoves  or  niches,  curiously  and  elaborate]^  or- 
namented with  mosaic  and  shell-work,  the  shells  being  in  per- 
fect preservation.  The  leaden  pipes,  by  which  these  foun- 
tains were  supplied  with  water,  afford  satisfactory  evidence  \ 
that  the  ancients  were  not  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  water 
seeks  its  level,  as  was  for  a  long  time  supposed,  from  the  cost- 
ly aqueducts  which  they  constructed  over  valleys  and  plains. 

We  were  conducted  to  a  spot  where  workmen  are  now 
busy  in  the  labour  of  excavation;  but  they  work  like  men  in 
the  public  employ,  slow  and  sure.  The  street  is  first  cleared 
out,  and  the  fine  pumice  stone,  resembling  wet  ashes,  care- 
fully scraped  out  of  the  houses,  that  nothing  may  be  injured, 
and  then  carted  away.  When  the  walls  are  found  damaged, 
they  are  repaired  with  the  old  materials,  but  fresh  cement, 
and  roofs  are  constructed  over  such  portions  as  require  to  be 
protected  from  the  weather. 

The  most  extensive  and  elegant  dwelling-house  was  unco- 
vered about  four  months  ago,  in  the  court-yard  of  which 
stand  the  remains  of  a  great  chest,  which  was  of  wood  cased 
with  iron.  It  contained  gold  and  silver.  Over  one  of  the 
door-ways  is  a  beautiful  painting  of  an  Hermaphrodite  and 
Satyr.  This  house  has  three  courts,  two  of  which  are  sur- 
rounded with  halls,  eating-rooms,  bed-rooms,  kitchens,  baths, 
&c. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


77 


We  looked  into  many  shops,  the  counters  of  which  were 
incrusted  with  bits  of  marble  of  various  colours  fitted  around 
the  narrow  mouths  of  large  earthen  jars,  which  were  imbed- 
ded in  solid  brick  work,  to  hold  oil  and  wine.  Sometimes 
there  were  little  shelves,  like  steps,  covered  with  marble, 
upon  which  small  articles  were  displayed  close  to  the  win- 
dow. 

We  were  now  conducted  to  a  more  splendid  part  of  the 
city,  where  halls  of  justice,  temples,  theatres,  and  public  gar- 
dens, demonstrated  the  wealth  and  taste  of  the  inhabitants. 
Here  we  were  shown  the  Temple  of  Fortune;  its  steps  were 
clean  washed  by  a  recent  shower ;  the  rusty  vestiges  of  iron 
showed  that  it  had  been  enclosed  with  a  railing  and  gate-way, 
which  was  the  case  with  other  buildings.  The  Pantheon, 
the  Temple  of  Mercury,  the  Temple  of  Jupiter,  the  Temple 
of  Venus,  were  all  ascertained  by  statues  found  in  them. 
The  basilica,  or  great  hall  of  justice,  was  an  oblong  hall  of 
great  size,  surrounded  inside  with  noble  columns,  which,  from 
their  size,  must  have  supported  a  lofty  roof.  At  the  farther  end 
was  an  elevated  throne,  on  which  the  judges  sat;  and  beneath 
it  a  chamber,  where  three  skeletons  of  men  were  found,  fas- 
tened by  their  legs  to  the  iron  stocks  which  we  had  seen  in 
the  Museum  at  Naples. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  temples  was  that  of  Isis, 
with  its  three  altars  for  sacrifice;  its  receptacle  for  the  sacred 
ashes  of  the  burnt-offerings,  and  its  interior  chamber  which 
contained  the  idol.  In  the  back  part  of  the  building  is  a  large 
room  where  was  found  a  table  spread  out  with  various  arti- 
cles of  food  and  the  decorations  of  a  feast,  of  which  the 
priests  had  not  time  to  partake  when  the  irruption  of-  Vesu- 
vius interrupted  them ;  though  all  did  not  escape,  as  several 
skeletons  were  found  in  the  room. 

From  the  public  promenade  we  entered  the  tragic  and  the 
comic  theatres ;  walked  over  the  stone  seats,  now  moss- 
atained ;  looked  on  the  shallow  stage,  which  allowed  no  sce- 
nic effect ;  stood  in  the  prompter's  central  niche,  and  read 


73 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


the  names  of  the  managers  recorded  in  mosaic  letters  on  the 
pavement  in  front  of  the  orchestra;  but  its  best  sculptural  de- 
corations had  been  removed  to  the  museum. 

From  this  spot,  to  conclude  our  survey,  we  ascended  to,  and 
were  conducted  over  extensive  fields,  through  vineyards  and 
plantations  of  trees,  no  doubt  covering  the  most  wealthy,  and 
it  is  supposed  the  most  populous  portion  of  the  city,  to  the  op- 
posite extremity,  where  stands  the  great  Amphitheatre,  from 
within  and  around  which  the  earth  is  entirely  removed,  show- 
ing its  external  arches  and  entrances,  its  interior  passages  and 
stairs,  and  its  ranges  of  seats  for  the  accommodation  of  ten 
thousand  persons,  all  surrounding  an  immense  oval  arena  for 
chariot  races  and  the  combats  of  gladiators  and  wild  beasts. 

We  found  our  carriage  waiting  at  the  extremity  of  the 
Pompeiian  mound,  opposite  to  that  at  which  we  had  entered, 
surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  beggars,  who,  as  soon  as  we  had 
settled  with  our  extortionate  guides,  commenced  their  claims 
by  the  display  of  every  deformity,  accompanied  by  all  the 
notes  of  unharmonious  misery,  resolutely  standing  in  front  of 
the  wheels  or  holding  on  by  the  doors  to  compel  us  to  a  con- 
tribution. 

In  passing  on  the  level  road,  around  the  mound,  it  was  very 
apparent  that  the  whole  elevation  was  occasioned  by  the  mass 
of  houses.  The  surrounding  plain  must  have  been  raised  in 
a  corresponding  degree  so  as  to  encroach  upon  the  water, 
which,  instead  of  reaching  the  walls,  is  now  a  mile  distant. 

The  destructive  shower  of  ashes  or  cinders  which  fell  on 
this  spot  was  not  accompanied  by  lava,  which  was  prevented 
flowing  so  far  by  an  intervening  hillock.  As  we  returned  to- 
wards Naples,  and  again  approached  Vesuvius,  we  looked 
with  renewed  wonder  at  the  rugged  masses  of  black  lava 
which  had  poured  from  the  mountain  and  spread  over  the 
plain  below,  having  overwhelmed  every  thing  in  its  course  to 
the  depth  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  and  sometimes  terminating 
in  abrupt  promontories  projecting  into  the  sea.  Where  these 
masses  of  lava  have  been  quarried,  to  use  it  for  building  or 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


79 


paving  stones,  we  perceived  the  solid  and  uniform  texture  of 
the  lower  portion  to  commence  a  foot  or  two  from  the  sur- 
face, which  is  of  a  black,  rugged,  and  wild  aspect.  This  up- 
per crust  is  used  in  the  neighbourhood  in  making  walls  or  di- 
vision fences,  whilst  the  lower  masses  have  furnished  paving 
stones  for  Naples  and  all  the  neighbouring  country,  and  solid 
foundations  for  many  buildings.  The  king's  palace  is  chiefly 
composed  of  it,  even  in  its  interior  and  ornamented  parts. 

It  was  impossible  to  remain  long  in  Naples  without  an  in- 
creasing astonishment  at  the  quantity  of  lava  employed  for 
paving  and  building.  Nor  could  we  travel  over  Hercula- 
neum,  a  city  buried  beneath  a  rock  of  lava,  which  had  flowed 
out  of  Vesuvius  in  liquid  red  hot  streams;  or  trace  the 
dark  ridges  of  it  which  marked  the  sides  of  the  mountain, 
spread  over  the  plain  below,  and  projected  into  the  sea;  with- 
out wishing  to  examine  so  tremendous. an  engine  of  destruc- 
tion, and  to  look  into  the  mountain,  out  of  which  had  flowed 
more  matter  than  would  be  required  to  heap  up  one  yet 
greater. 

For  several  days  a  greater  appearance  of  smoke  than  usual 
was  remarked  on  Vesuvius,  but  the  rains  which  had  pre- 
vailed since  our  arrival,  prevented  our  undertaking  the  ex- 
cursion. But  another  clear  day  occurring,  our  party  started 
at  eleven  o'clock,  and  following  our  former  course  around  the 
head  of  the  bay,  soon  arrived  at  Resina,  where  we  were  be- 
set with  a  crowd  of  asses,  all  saddled  for  the  mountain,  upon 
which  their  owners  in  a  most  ludicrous  and  boisterous  man- 
ner tried  to  force  us  from  our  carriage,  whilst  one  of  our 
party  was  in  search  of  a  guide  whom  he  knew;  in  the  mean- 
while the  rest  of  us  were  so  hemmed  in  that  we  could  scarce- 
ly extricate  ourselves.  It  was  thirty  years  since  I  had  been 
mounted  on  the  back  of  any  thing  like  a  horse,  my  son  was 
therefore  much  diverted  to  see  me  on  a  ragged  jackass,  which, 
however,  with  an  occasional  hint  from  my  heels,  or  a  thump 
from  the  guide,  and  the  grunt  which  is  addressed  to  asses, 
carried  me  very  well  up  a  rough  and  winding  road,  interrupt- 


30 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


ed  by  steps,  and  too  much  covered  with  rugged  stones,  al- 
though not  too  steep  to  answer  as  a  carriage  way. 

About  half  way,  our  guide  stopped  at  a  farm  house,  the 
last  at  that  elevation,  and  supplied  himself  with  some  bottles 
of  wine  and  torches. 

Between  two  side  walls,  enclosing  vineyards,  and  through 
deep  gullies  in  the  mountain,  the  asses,  with  steady  backs 
and  quick  moving  feet,  wound  their  way  for  four  miles  to 
the  Hermitage;  a  curious  rough  old  building  situated  on  a 
small  flat  surface  of  the  ridge  so  elevated  as  to  be  above  the 
floods  of  lava  which  have  surrounded  its  base.  On  this  spot 
there  are  a  few  large  trees,  which  is  not  the  case  with  any 
other  part  of  the  mountain,  and  a  small  burying  ground,  con- 
taining the  remains  of  those  who  have  in  times  past  officiated 
for  the  accommodation  of  the  curious  traveller. 

No  person  appearing  to  receive  us  when  we  had  hitched 
our  asses,  our  guide  conducted  us  into  the  stone  structure, 
which  had  borrowed  neither  regularity,  beauty,  nor  comfort 
from  the  design  of  an  architect;  we  mounted  the  steep  nar- 
row steps  of  rude  stone,  passed  through  a  small  hall  where 
several  large  tables  serve  companies  to  eat  from  or  to  sleep 
on,  into  a  small  rough  paved  chamber,  where  a  map  and 
some  poor  prints  spotted  the  wall,  and  a  bench  and  some 
rush  bottomed  chairs  enabled  us  to  sit  round  the  coarse  table 
to  partake  of  a  fresh  made  omlet,  some  brown  bread  and 
cheese,  a  few  little  apples,  and  a  bottle  of  the  famed  wine 
called  lacryma  christi,  of  no  peculiar  merit.  Under  the 
orders  of  the  resident  monk,  these  things  were  furnished  by 
a  soldier  who  acted  as  waiter — no  female  residing  on  the 
premises.  The  hermit  monk  has  no  other  companions  than 
some  soldiers  who  are  stationed  here,  for  the  protection  of 
visiters  against  robbers  amid  the  wildernesses  of  lava. 

In  half  an  hour  wTe  again  mounted  our  beasts,  and  ad- 
vanced along  the  ridge,  which  narrowed  to  a  point  as  we 
approached  the  cone  of  the  mountain.  At  this  point  a  cross 
is  erected,  to  which,  in  times  of  eruptions,  the  head  of  St. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


31 


Januarius  is  carried  in  solemn  procession,  and  from  it  are 
seen  the  barren  masses  of  lava/diverging  on  each  side,  which 
at  different  periods  have  poured  in  red  hot  slow-rolling  cur- 
rents from  the  caldron  mountain.  Some  of  these  masses 
had  abruptly  terminated  in  the  midst  of  cultivation,  carrying 
horrid  waste  and  desolation  in  their  course,  as  you  might 
judge  by  those  portions  of  the  rich  fields,  which  the  flood 
did  not  reach,  terminatingin  black  rough  rolls,  in  every  tor- 
tuous shape,  to  the  thickness  of  six  feet.  The  guide  pointed 
out  the  currents  of  the  various  celebrated  eruptions,  which 
could  be  distinguised  by  their  colour,  the  most  ancient  being 
of  the  palest  gray,  and  the  most  recent  of  the  darkest  hue. 
From  this  the  guides  and  asses  found  their  way  through  a  wil- 
derness of  lava  and  ravines  of  cinders,  till  we  reached  the 
base  of  the  cone;  frequently  passing  by  huge  rocks  which 
had  been  thrown  out  of  the  crater;  and  one  spot,  where 
smoke  issued  from  among  the  small  stones,  too  hot  to-  be 
borne,  on  thrusting  the  fingers  in. 

There  we  dismounted  to  commence  the  task  of  climbing, 
which,  though  not  so  bad  as  is  generally  represented,  was 
sufficiently  fatiguing,  and  required  more  than  half  an  hour. 
It  was  like  climbing  a  hill,  composed  of  small  gravel,  sloping 
in  the  degree  in  which  it  would  naturally  rest  if  heaped  up. 
These  loose  dry  particles  gave  way  beneath  the  short  steps 
which  it  was  necessary  to  take;  but  the  ascent  was  rendered 
comparatively  easy  by  numerous  firm  stones,  upon  which  we 
could  occasionally  tread,  the  whole  way  up. 

As  we  ascended  the  cone,  the  view  of  Naples  and  the  sur- 
rounding country  became  more  and  more  extensive,  com- 
prising all  the  islands,  the  remote  coast,  the  distant  moun- 
tains, and  numerous  villages..  But  when  we  reached  the 
top,  what  was  our  disappointment  to  find  the  crater  filled 
with  mist  and  smoke,  which  became  more  dense  every  mi- 
nute. A  raw  wind  blew  against  the  mountain,  from  which 
we  found  a  shelter  by  lying  down  on  the  inner  declivity, 
which  had  a  gentle  slope  of  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  breadth  to  a 

11 


82 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


rock  which  overhung  the  perpendicular  precipice  of  the 
great  crater.  The  moment  we  had  attained  the  summit,  the 
noise  which  issued  from  the  cloud-covered  abyss  became 
most  singular  and  awfully  grand,  resembling  the  combined 
sounds  of  thunder,  cannon,  musquetry,  the  surges  of  the  sea 
among  rocks,  and  the  rattling  of  sheets  *of  copper  violently 
shaken.  These  noises  wTere  produced  by  an  incessant  irrup- 
tion from  a  small  cone  at  the  bottom  of  the  great  crater — 
from  time  to  time  a  more  copious  eruption  of  red  hot  stones 
would  disperse  and  dissolve  the  cloud  for  a  moment  or  two, 
and  show  us  the  interior  cone  from  which  it  issued,  and  the 
streams  of  lava  running  around  its  base. 

One  of  our  company  had  boldly  descended  with  a  guide 
into  the  crater  by  winding  round  the  edge,  some  distance 
from  the  low  rock  on  which  we  were  placed,  to  a  spot  where 
a  passage  could  be  effected  among  the  perpendicular  cliffs 
down  to  the  shelving  and  more  level  surface  within  the  great 
crater,  and  around  the  inner  cone.  We  heard  his  voice  from 
beneath  the  misty  veil  far  below  us,  under  a  precipice  of 
rocks  on  the  edge  of  which  we  remained,  whilst  the  -cloud 
grew  more  dense  and  night  was  fast  approaching.  We  be- 
came alarmed  for  his  safety,  and  the  guide  who  remained 
with  us  exerted  his  utmost  voice,  contending  with  the  roar 
and  rattle  of  the  fiery  crater,  to  call  him  back.  At  length 
our  friend  returned  bringing  with  him  three  pieces  of  lava, 
into  each  of  which  he  had  thrust  a  dollar,  and  separated 
each  portion  with  his  stick  from  the  stream  of  lava  which 
flowed  at  his  feet. 

His  delay  prevented  our  earlier  descent  from  the  region  of 
cloud.  In  the  meanwhile  two  other  companies  had  arrived 
with  whom  we  lingered  a  little  longer,  and  just  as  we  were 
giving  up  all  hopes  of  having  a  satisfactory  view,  the  cloud 
suddenly  passed  away,  disclosing  the  whole  circumference  of 
the  crater.  We  found  it  to  consist  of  vast  perpendicular  rocks 
on  all  sides,  with  some  oblique  slopes  winding  under  the 
cliffs,  permitting  a  dangerous  descent  into  the  crater  for  the 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


83 


few  who  are  so  adventurous  as  to  attempt  it.  Not  far  with- 
in these  cliffs  is  the  deepest  part  of  the  crater,  about  fifteen 
hundred  feet,  from  which  rises  the  inner  cone,  made  by  small 
but  continual  irruptions  of  red  hot  stones  and  lava.  The 
outer  crater  is  said  to  be  about  a  mile  and  a  third  in  diame- 
ter— while  the  inner  one  is  about  fifty  feet.  From  this  we 
witnessed  a  rapid  succession  of  discharges,  from  sixty  to 
eighty  in  a  minute,  accompanied  by  the  noise  I  have  before 
described;  and  every  four  or  five  minutes  a  great  explosion 
which  threw  up  quantities  of  red  hot  stones  and  liquid 
lava,  nearly  as  high  as  the  top  of  the  outer  crater,  falling  on 
the  inner  cone; — during  the  whole  time  the  lava  was  running 
down  the  sides,  in  four  distinct  streams,  poured  out  like 
melted  iron,  and  spreading  over  the  whole  extent  of  the  in- 
ner crater. 

These  sublime  fire-works  illuminated  the  whole  circumfe- 
rence of  the  crater,  and,  with  the  vast  volumes  of  smoke 
whose  immense  column  rose  far  above  it,  produced  a  most 
magnificent  and  impressive  spectacle,  from  which  we  were 
reluctant  to  part,  notwithstanding  the  lateness  of  the  hour. 
Our  guides  at  length  struck  a  fire,  lighted  their  torches,  and 
selecting  a  part  of  the  cone  the  most  yielding  to  the  feet,  ran 
jumping  down  followed  by  the  whole  party  in  a  string  like 
a  parcel  of  wild  boys — the  gravel  filling  our  shoes,  and  even 
getting  into  our  boots.  It  is  the  general  custom  thus  to  hur- 
ry down  in  two  or  three  minutes  a  slope  that  takes  more 
than  half  an  hour  to  ascend — but  it  is  a  foolish  and  unsafe 
practice,  on  account  of  the  occasional  large  stones,  by  which 
1  was  several  times  thrown  down  and  my  ankles  were  strained, 
embarrassed  as  I  was  with  a  cloak,  and  following  in  the  sha- 
dow of  those  who  rushed  before  me  after  the  torches. 

At  the  foot  of  the  cone,  we  found  the  soldier  that  accom- 
panied us  from  the  hermitage,  and  one  who  had  come  with 
the  other  parties,  together  with  a  boy  who  had  charge  of  the 
asses — all  round  a  little  fire.  The  whole  party  being  mount- 
ed, preceded  by  the  guides,  and  escorted  by  the  gens-dy- 


84 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


armes,  we  gave  loose  reins  to  our  sagacious  beasts,  and  re- 
turned safely  through  the  wilderness  of  lava,  passing  to  the 
right  and  left,  up  and  down,  as  the  asses  thought  best;  and 
holding  in  our  toes  for  fear  of  being  dismounted  by  projecting 
crags  of  lava.  When  we  reached  the  shelter  of  the  hermit- 
age, we  warmed  ourselves  by  a  good  fire,  inscribed  our  names 
in  the  great  album,  paid  our  fees  to  the  soldiers  and  the  priest, 
and  then  continued  down  the  long-winding  rough  way,  not  to 
say  road,  to  Resina;  where  again  our  purses  were  called  forth 
for  guides  and  torches. 

As  our  carriage  rattled  over  the  pavement  of  Portici,  and 
we  reflected  that  a  great  city  lay  buried  beneath  us,  we  could 
not  forbear  a  solemn  silence,  while  we  occasionally  caught  a 
view  of  the  red  cloud  which  hung  over  the  awful  mountain. 

"  Sufficient  to  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof."  The  trouble  at 
our  arrival,  with  trunks  and  passports,  was  as  much  as  could 
well  be  borne  at  the  time.  After  recovering  from  this  vexa- 
tion, we  were  better  prepared  for  that  of  obtaining  permission 
of  residence;  first,  for  five  days,  then  for  one  month;  and, 
now  that  we  are  desirous  of  getting  away,  we  find  the  pro- 
cess of  recovering  our  passports,  and  getting  a  new  one  to 
leave  the  kingdom,  with  the  signatures  of  our  consul,  the  po- 
lice officers,  the  minister  of  state,  and,  finally,  the  Roman  ec- 
clesiastical consul, — demands  an  additional  sacrifice  of  time, 
fatigue,  and  money. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


85 


January  28th. 

Having  seen  in  Naples  as  much  as  the  long  succession  of 
bad  weather  would  well  permit,  we  engaged  seats  in  a  vetu- 
rina,  a  coach  returning  to  Florence,  to  take  us  to  Rome.  But 
the  driver,  who  was  owner  of  the  carriage  and  three  horses, 
and  who  spoke  French,  which  was  a  motive  with  us  for  go- 
ing with  him,  had  sold  his  carriage  and  horses,  and  we  found 
ourselves  at  daylight,  on  the  road  from  Naples,  under  the  gui- 
dance of  the  new  purchaser,  a  snug,  young,  leather-breeched 
postillion,  who  spoke  nothing  but  broad  Italian,  and  knew  no- 
thing of  the  country  but  the  course  of  the  road — yet  he  turned 
out  to  be  quiet,  careful,  and  obliging. 

From  Naples  to  Capua  and  St.  Agatha,  we  passed  over  a 
a  country  generally  level,  highly  cultivated,  and  covered 
with  trees,  between  which,  like  ropes  suspended  on  high, 
were  abundance  of  grape  vines.  The  road  was  lined 
with  a  numerous  succession  of  asses,  with  ragged,  patched, 
and  grunting  drivers,  carrying  provisions  to  the  city.  We 
slept  in  a  good  inn,  and  were  well  treated  at  St.  Agatha, 
whence,  to  Terracina,  our  road  lay  through  a  level  country, 
having  the  Mediterranean  on  one  side,  and  a  ridge  of  moun- 
tains near  us  on  the  other.  We  enjoyed  our  meridian  break- 
fast at  the  Villa  of  Cicero.  It  has  been  an  elegant  country 
seat,  and  commands  a  beautiful  view  of  the  bay  and  the  neigh- 
bouring villages.  The  great  stair-way  is  of  black  marble,  and 
a  lage  upper  hall  is  painted  in  the  style  of  the  buildings  at 
Pompeii.  A  large  garden  is  filled  with  luxuriant  orange  trees, 
with  whose  fresh  fruit  we  concluded  our  repast. 

Before  our  carriage  was  ready  to  start,  we  walked  forward 
over  a  very  pleasant  road,  enjoying  the  rare  treat  of  a  warm 
sunshine  and  fine  prospect,  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  of  de- 
lightful valleys,  till  we  came  to  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  tomb, 


86 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


supposed  to  be  that  of  Cicero.  An  old  gardener  gave  us  en- 
trance from  the  road  into  the  field  where  it  stands.  We 
walked  through  the  slippery  mud,  among  humble  cabbages, 
to  the  foot  of  this  dilapidated  monumental  tower,  whose  cre- 
vices were  filled  with  the  roots  of  picturesque  shrubs  and 
vines.  The  old  man  showed  us  how  we  might  climb  the 
broken  and  massive  stones  of  the  pedestal  to  an  upper  cham- 
ber, constructed  chiefly  of  very  small  bricks,  the  arched  roof 
being  supported  by  a  square  pillar  in  the  centre.  The  lower 
apartment  had  a  modern  wooden  door,  of  which  he  had  not 
the  key. 

The  marshy  lands  began  long  before  we  reached  Terracina, 
where  we  eat  and  slept,  after  two  hours  detention  at  the  cus- 
tom-house, occasioned  by  the  examination,  weighing,  and 
plumbing  of  a  quantity  of  commercial  articles  belonging  to  a 
carriage  .which  had  previously  arrived;  our  examination  was 
then  prompt  and  polite. 

From  Terracina  to  Villetri  our  road  lay  across  the  cele- 
brated Pontine  Marshes,  with  a  range  of  mountains  on  our 
right.  The  road,  which  is  a  very  fine  one,  is  made,  for  the 
most  part,  on  the  solid  ground;  sometimes,  however,  crossing, 
between  two  points,  a  portion  of  the  marsh:  at  our  left  hand 
was  a  canal,  with  a  rapid  stream  of  water,  made  by  embank- 
ments, raised  above  the  level  of  the  marshes,  and  passing  into 
the  sea  by  a  transverse  canal.  Numerous  canals  and  ditches 
have  rendered  the  greatest  portion  of  these  marshes  capable 
of  cultivation,  especially  the  higher  parts  towards  Rome. 
The  tracts  unreclaimed  present  a  desolate  scene  of  what  is 
called  with  us  drowned  lands.  Near  the  termination  of  these 
Pontine  Marshes,  in  a  large  massive  rough  building,  called 
Tre  Ponti,  we  rested  some  tedious  hours,  and  tried  to  amuse 
ourselves  looking  at  the  herds  of  black  buffaloes  which  were 
grazing  on  the  marshes.  Some  English  travellers  who  had 
stopt  here,  accoutred  as  sportsmen,  were  better  enjoying  them- 
selves with  dog  and  gun  in  ranging  the  muddy  fields.  From 
this  to  Velletri,  where  we  slept,  we  saw  little  to  interest  us. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


87 


We  found  the  whole  road  from  Naples  protected  against 
the  depredation  of  robbers  by  military  guards,  stationed  at 
short  intervals.  This  precaution  appeared  most  necessary  in 
the  Neapolitan  territory,  where  the  grounds  on  each  side  of 
the  road  were  rough  and  wild^  and  the  wretched  inhabitants, 
as  the  Irish  would  say,  most  desperate-looking.  But  we  had 
no  sooner  entered  the  papal  territory  than  we  perceived  a 
people  of  much  better  appearance,  scarcely  any  beggars,  and 
the  peasants  decently  and  comfortably  clad — men  and  wo- 
men, eight  or  ten  in  a  row,  promiscuously  employed  in  the 
fields  digging  the  soft  soil.  We  were  no  longer -troubled  with 
our  passports  after  passing  the  papal  frontier. 

From  this  inn  of  the  three  bridges  the  road  was  excellent, 
and  became  extremely  picturesque  and  delightful.  At  Alba- 
no  we  passed  through  a  heavy  shower  of  hail,  but,  as  it  cleared 
up,  and  we  descended  its  romantic  heights,  we  perceived 
Rome,  as  made  evident  by  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's,  thirteen 
miles  distant,  which  was  lighted  by  the  only  rays  of  sun  that 
just  then  broke  through  the  distant  clouds.  We  passed  many 
ruins  of  ancient  tombs,  on  each  side  of  the  road,  very  few  of 
which  retained  the  appearance  of  monuments,  as  they  were 
totally  divested  of  their  outer  coatings  of  marble. 

As  we  approached  the  city  a  long  horizontal  line  of  an- 
cient aqueducts  displayed  their  wonderful  succession  of  lofty 
arches,  still  in  surprising  preservation,  except  where  demo- 
lished for  the  sake  of  the  building  materials  of  brick  and 
stone.  Shortly  after,  we  entered  Rome  by  the  gate  of  San 
Giovanni.  Here  our  passports  were  taken  from  us  to  be  re- 
turned next  day.  Having  at  Naples  procured  from  our  con- 
sul at  Rome  a  lascia  passare,  or  permission  to  pass,  we  were 
not  detained  at  the  gate,  but  a  custom-house  officer  accom- 
panied the  carriage  to  our  lodgings.  The  first  objects  that 
presented  themselves  were  objects  of  magnificence  and  gran- 
deur; the  venerated  basilica  of  St.  John  and  its  neighbouring 
churches,  palace  and  hospital ;  and  very  soon  after  the  stu- 
pendous remains  of  the  mighty  Colosseum,  whose  noble  arches 


88 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


echoed  to  the  whip  of  our  excited  postillion  as  we  rapidly 
drove  under  its  broad  shadow.  Thence  traversing  a  long  se- 
ries of  narrow  streets,  to  the  Forum  of  Trajan,  we  strained 
our  necks  to  survey  the  celebrated  column,  which  still  stands 
on  its  original  base.  A  few  more  turns  conveyed  us  to  the 
Corso,  rich  with  palaces,  and  by  the  renowned  column  of  An- 
toninus, to  the  Piazza  di  Spagna,  which  abounds  in  houses  for 
the  accommodation  of  strangers.  Here  our  custom-house  of- 
ficer civilly  left  us  on  the  receipt  of  a  small  fee ;  and  after- 
wards our  trunks  were  scarcely  looked  at  by  officers  of  a 
higher  rank,  sent  from  the  custom-house  to  perform  that  ce- 
remony. 


Borne,  January  3ls£. 

Behold  me  seated  in  the  wonderful  city,  which  I  am  to 
see  with  my  own  eyes,  and  judge  with  my  own  understand- 
ing. I  shall  examine  it  without  system;  governed  by  the  fan- 
cy which  may  be  uppermost,  or  the  facilities  which  may  pre- 
sent themselves.  From  my  lodging-room  J  look  out  upon  the 
habitations  of  the  people,  and  perceive  the  moss-covered  tiles 
of  massive  houses,  built  some  hundred  years  back,  and  re- 
paired and  altered  to  the  latest  taste  and  convenience.  They 
are  inhabited  by  a  race  descended  from  the  ancient  heroes  of 
Rome ;  but  they  live  on  the  curiosity  of  strangers,  and  eco- 
nomize in  nooks  and  corners,  whilst  their  best  apartments, 
new  painted  and  modernized,  are  announced  for  hire  at  al- 
most every  door.  The  postillion's  vigorously  flourished  whip 
cracks  loud  in  the  street  below — another  and'another  arrives 
— it  is  the  season  when  Rome  begins  to  be  filled.  But,  in  the 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


09 


little  daylight  which  remains,  I  am  impatient  to  sally  out,  and 
the  first  attraction  is  the  Piazza  di  Spagna. 

This  is  a  large  central  space,  so  called  because  the  palace 
of  the  Spanish  ambassador  fronts  on  it.  It  contains  a  num- 
ber of  convenient  lodging  houses  and  shops  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  strangers,  with  books,  prints,  mosaics,  cameos,  &c, 
A  singular  fountain  in  the  centre,  in  the  shape  of  an  antique 
galley,  pours  out  its  copious  streams  of  excellent  water,  direct- 
ly in  front  of  a  magnificent  flight  of  white  stone  steps,  varied 
with  landing-places  and  terraces,  which  ascend  to  the  front 
of  a  church  built  by  Louis  XV.  A  delightful  walk,  on  the 
brow  of  the  hill,  overlooking  the  tops  of  the  houses  and  gar- 
dens, extends  from  this  church,  under  rows  of  trees,  to  the  pa- 
lace of  the  French  academy  of  the  fine  arts,  and  so  on  to  the 
terraces,  groves,  walks,  and  carriage-ways  at  the  termination 
of  the  Pincian  hill,  which  overlooks  one  extremity  of  Rome. 
There  the  eye  is  cast  directly  down  upon  the  noble  circular 
place,  just  within  the  Gate  of  the  people,  with  its  mighty 
Egyptian  obelisk  and  fountains  in  the  centre,  and  fountains, 
statues,  churches,  and  palaces  on  its  circumference.  To  these 
a  descent  is  afforded  by  a  road  constructed  in  the  style  of  a 
double  stair-case — a  beautiful  work,  commenced  when  the 
French  ruler  governed  Rome,  and  now  finishing,  by  the  well- 
advised  policy  of  the  popes,  to  embellish  a  city  which  owes 
so  much  to  the  visitation  of  strangers.  These  walks  and  rides 
are  greatly  resorted  to,  especially  by  the  English;  and  the 
prospect  at  sunset  is  indeed  beautiful,  commanding  a  distant 
view  of  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's  and  the  neighbouring  hills 
on  the  borders  of  the  Tiber. 

Having  at  last  arrived  in  Rome;  breathed  its  mild  air;  eaten 
of  its  excellent  food,  prepared  by  the  cunning  of  a  French 
cook,  and  presented  in  all  the  ceremony  of  successive  courses, 
as  prescribed  by  the  gourmand  code;  and  tasted,  not  to  say 
drunk,  of  its  pleasant  wine — it  only  remained  to  sleep  in 
Rome,  to  lie  on  beds  of  wool,  and  over  mattresses  filled  with 

12 


90 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


corn-husks,  elevated  on  an  iron  bedstead;  to  think,  if  not  to 
dream,  of  its  ancient  glories;  and  wake  to  the  wonders  of 
art  which  render  it  the  centre  of  attraction  to  artists,  and  to 
the  curious  of  all  nations. 

The  ruinous  vestiges  of  ancient  power — the  fragments  of 
magnificent  architecture,  lie  chiefly  towards  the  gate  by  which 
I  entered.  The  proud  altar  of  ecclesiastical  dominion — the 
matchless  perfection  of  the  Christian  temple,  was  to  be  found 
at  an  opposite  extremity  of  the  city.  My  taste  led  me  first 
to  enjoy  the  beauties  which  are  unimpaired  by  time;  and 
seldom,  indeed,  does  a  stranger  arrive  in  Rome  without  feel- 
ing an  impatient  curiosity  to  hasten  to  the  cathedral  of  St. 
Peter's,  because  it  is  universally  considered  the  wonder  of 
modern  architecture,  and  the  central  point  of  the  whole  ca- 
tholic world. 

From  the  Piazza  di  Spagna,  to  go  to  St.  Peter's,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  pass  down  one  or  two  streets  filled  with  little  shops, 
outside  and  inside  of  which  are  displayed,  for  the  especial 
temptation  of  strangers,  (forestieri^)  a  vast  variety  of  real 
and  fictitious  antiques,  gems,  cameos,  mosaics,  bronzes,  paint- 
ings, and  prints.  These  lead  into  the  Corso,  the  fashionable 
course  of  carriages,  the  only  long  straight  street  in  Rome,  in- 
tersecting it  from  the  base  of  the  capitol  to  the  gate  of  the 
people,  la  Porta  del  popolo,  a  mile  distant.  Then  turning 
down  by  the  Borghese  palace,  and  a  few  other  buildings  of 
note,  you  are  obliged  to  traverse  a  long  course  of  wretched 
streets,  crooked,  narrow,  and  often  dirty,  till  you  reach  the 
ancient  Pons  JElius,  built  by  Adrian,  but  mended  by  mo- 
dern restorations,  and  flanked,  if  not  ornamented,  with  mar- 
ble angels,  and  hence  called  the  Bridge  of  the  Holy  Angels, 
Santf  Jlngeli.  This  great  thoroughfare,  across  the  rapid 
and  muddy  Tiber,  leads  directly  to  the  front  of  the  Castle 
of  St.  Jlngelo,  once  the  tomb  of  Adrian,  whose  vast  circu- 
lar base  has  been  crowned  with  battlements  and  surround- 
ed with  military  works — the  papal  barracks  and  prison.  Di- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


91 


verging  from  this,  through  a  street  of  little  consideration,  you 
presently  enter  the  open  space,  at  the  farther  and  most  ele- 
vated end  of  which  stands  St.  Peter's. 

Here  let  us  stop  to  take  a  survey  of  the  scene  which  is 
presented  within  the  immense  piazza  or  place  of  St.  Peter's — 
ten  hundred  and  forty  feet  in  length.  Midway,  within  two 
semicircular  ranges  of  magnificent  colonnades  or  porticoes, 
the  copious  waters  of  two  elegant  fountains  glitter  in  the  air, 
and  a  towering  obelisk  of  Egypt  marks  the  meridian  of 
Rome.  Beyond  these,  a  grand  flight  of  steps,  at  the  foot  of 
which  stand  two  statues,  one  bearing  the  keys  of  St.  Peter, 
the  other  the  sword  of  St.  Paul, — conducts  the  eye  to  the 
broad  front  of  the  sacred  basilica,  which  rather  resembles  a 
palace.  Above  is  imperfectly  seen  the  more  distant  dome, 
partly  hidden  by  the  perspective  obtrusion  of  the  deep  ad- 
vancing front.  Covered  galleries  or  corridors,  connected 
with  the  two  semicircular  porticoes,  rise  to  each  end  of  the 
vestibule  of  the  mighty  temple.  Behind  the  left  corridor  is 
seen  the  princely  palace  of  the  officiating  canons  and  sa- 
cristans, and  beyond  the  corridor,  at  the  right,  rises  the  Va- 
tican, presenting  externally  no  architectural  beauty,  but  com- 
prising within  its  stupendous  masses,  the  splendours  of  the 
pontifical  palace,  and  the  consecrated  treasures  of  ancient 
art. 

Advancing,  midway,  over  the  flat  stone  pavement,  we  ap- 
proach the  semicircular  colonnades,  which,  commencing  wide- 
ly distant,  and  presenting  oblique  fronts,  resemble  the  porti- 
coes of  two  churches.  From  this  spot  the  perspective  effect 
of  the  retiring  sweep  of  the  colonnades,  brings  the  apparent- 
ly diminished  columns  of  the  remote  parts  into  close  decep- 
tive comparison  with  those  of  the  front.  As  you  approach 
them  they  seem  rapidly  to  grow  in  size,  till  you  touch  their 
shafts,  of  about  forty  feet  in  height  and  five  in  diameter. 
Then  turning  round,  and  looking  across  to  the  commencing 
front  of  the  opposite  colonnade,  which  you  know  to  be  of  the 
same  proportions,  such  is  the  deception  among  objects  of  un- 


92 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


known  magnitude  and  space,  that  they  appear  to  be  scarcely 
half  the  size.  Forty-seven  of  these  immense  marble  or  tra- 
vertine columns,  supporting  a  suitable  entablature  and  ba- 
lustrade, and  decorated  with  colossal  statues,  constitute  the 
semicircular  face  of  each  portico,  and  three  other  corres- 
ponding ranges  of  columns  make  up  the  breadth,  comprising 
three  ample  covered  carriage  ways  which  lead  to  the  corri- 
dors. In  various  situations,  behind,  within  and  in  front,  the 
perspective  effects  of  these  three  hundred  and  seventy-six 
columns,  with  their  pilasters,  entablatures,  ballustrades,  sur- 
mounted by  one  hundred  and  ninety-two  colossal  statues,  the 
fountains,  obelisk,  and  the  apparently  diminished  forms  of 
the  cathedral  and  the  Vatican,  as  seen  beyond  the  columnar 
spaces,  are  beautiful  and  curious.  For  the  pleasure  of  this 
sumptuous  array,  we  are  indebted  to  the  architectural  taste 
of  the  sculptor  Bernini,  whose  statues,  with  those  of  his  pu- 
pils, ornament  this  and  many  other  places  in  Rome;  and  to 
the  genius  which  enabled  him  to  fascinate  those  who  held 
the  public  purse-strings,  into  such  schemes  of  costly  magni- 
ficence. 

This  spot  was  once  the  circus  of  Nero,  and  was  distin- 
guished by  an  immense  obelisk  of  red  granite,  which  Cali- 
gula had  brought  from  Egypt.  Overthrown  by  the  barbarians 
who  pillaged  Rome,  it  lay  buried  for  ages,  was  discovered 
where  the  sacristy  now  stands,  and  two  hundred  and  forty- 
three  years  ago,  at  an  expense  of  forty  thousand  dollars, 
was  removed  to  and  erected  in  its  present  situation  on  the 
backs  of  four  bronze  lions  which  crouch  on  the  corners  of  a 
high  pedestal.  It  is  the  only  unfractured  obelisk  in  Rome, 
but  is  without  hieroglyphics,  and  measures  seventy-seven 
feet,  exclusive  of  the  pedestal. 

The  fountains  on  each  side  throw  up  a  picturesque  group 
of  jets  from  an  assemblage  of  pipes.  This  copious  and  un- 
ceasing eruption  of  water  falls  into  a  series  of  basins,  pro- 
jecting below  and  beyond  each  other,  to  one  of  fifty  feet  in 
circumference,  made  of  a  single  piece  of  granite,  and  thence 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


93 


into  a  larger  reservoir  on  the  ground.  In  a  calm  atmosphere 
it  falls  uniformly,  hut  its  streams  are  scattered  by  a  breeze 
into  a  fine  shower,  and  then  exhibit  the  splendid  hues  of  the 
rainbow. 

Passing  the  marble  keys  of  St.  Peter,  and  the  iron  sword 
of  St.  Paul,  and  ascending  the  wide  steps  or  the  gently  rising 
central  slope,  contrived  for  the  stiff  knees  of  the  aged  cardi- 
nals when  they  pass  in  processions,  we  reach  the  platform; 
and  advancing  to  the  eight  columns  which  support  the  front 
entablature,  are  astonished  at  their  unparalleled  magnitude, 
resting  on  bases  twelve  feet  in  breadth,  and  rising  eighty- 
eight  feet  to  the  top  of  their  capitals.  This  front  is  often 
censured  as  too  much  resembling  a  Palace,  but  more 
justly  so  as  deformed  by  the  inter-columniatiohs  being 
filled  up  with  balconies;  but  though  not  exempt  from  cri- 
ticism, nor  so  perfect  as  the  rest  of  the  edifice,  it  possesses 
unusual  grandeur.  The  sensation  of  astonishment  excited 
by  the  outside  does  not  diminish  on  entering.  Three 
high  gate-ways,  decorated  with  marble  columns,  and  two 
intermediate  arches  open  into  the  vestibule,  which  is  an 
immense  vaulted  hall  extending  the  whole  breadth  of  the 
church,  and  terminating  at  both  ends  in  recesses  containing 
each  an  equestrian  statue — one  of  Constantine,  the  other  of 
Charlemagne.  The  ceiling  is  richly  stuccoed,  and  the  pave- 
ment is  inlaid  marble,  four  hundred  and  thirty  feet  long,  and 
sixty  feet  high. 

Of  five  door-ways,  two  remain  open  to  the  public.  The 
central  one,  which  is  opened  only  on  high  festivals,  is  of 
bronze  enriched  with  sculpture — all  green  from  the  opera- 
tion of  the  atmosphere,  except  the  lower  part,  where  the 
figures  are  polished  by  the  hands  of  the  curious  and  the  kisses 
of  the  pious;  and  another,  which  is  called  the  holy  door,  is 
only  open  at  the  remote  periods  of  the  great  jubilees.  Be- 
fore you  can  enter  the  temple,  it  is  necessary,  as  is  usual  in 
Italy,  to  raise,  or  suffer  some  of  the  beggars  who  stand  ready, 
to  raise  a  great  quilted  leather,  an  inch  atfd  a  half  thick, 


94 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


which  hangs  heavily  against  the  opening  to  exclude  the  cold 
air.  Once  within,  you  enjoy  the  mildness  of  a  summer  at- 
mosphere. 

After  reading  the  various  accounts  of  this  edifice,  it  is  im- 
possible to  forbear  fashioning  in  the  imagination  a  building, 
according  to  some  prevailing  notions,  which  scarcely  ever 
are  found  to  agree  with  the  reality.  The  first  sensation  is 
that  of  surprise  at  the  brightness  and  elegance  of  the  whole 
interior,  and,  in  part,  of  disappointment  at  the  apparent  want 
of  magnitude,  occasioned,  I  think,  chiefly  by  the  colossal  sta- 
tues which,  being  proportioned  to  the  vast  pilasters,  arches 
and  columns,  seem  to  reduce  the  whole  to  an  ordinary  scale; 
until  by  a  change  of  place,  walking  over  fields  of  pavement, 
and  comparing  the  human  beings  before  you,  who  seem 
dwindled  into  pigmies,  with  the  stupendous  masses  which  you 
are  approaching, — you  are  convinced  of  its  mighty  magni- 
tude, and  experience  an  increasing  emotion  of  wonder  and 
delight. 

The  body,  or  nave,  is  under  one  vast  arch  or  vaulted  cei- 
ling, with  richly  gilt  mouldings,  and  arabesque  carvings,  on  a 
white  ground.  This  ceiling  rests  on  a  noble  cornice,  which 
is  supported  on  each  side  by  four  arches,  opening  into  the 
side  aisles.  These  masses  of  combined  pilasters  are  built  on 
bases  twenty<four  feet  wide  and  thirteen  thick,  which  look 
slender  compared  with  the  width  and  height  of  the  inter- 
vening archways.  Each  pier  is  ornamented  with  a  colossal 
statue  in  a  niche,  facing  the  nave.  The  pilasters  of  the 
arches  are  composed  of  the  richest  marbles  and  ornamented 
with  beautiful  groups  of  angel  children,  of  white  marble, 
supporting  medallion  portraits  of  the  popes. 

At  the  base  of  the  first  pilasters,  on  each  side,  is  a  holy- 
water  font,  of  rich  yellow  marble,  supported  by  two  chil- 
dren, of  polished  white  marble,  which  at  first  seem  no  more 
than  the  natural  size,  while  the  men  and  women  who  are  in 
contact  with  them,  and  raising  their  hands  to  touch  the  wa- 
ter, seem  of  a  Half  grown  race.    Thirty-four  paces  from  the 


It 


NOTES  ON  ITALY.  95 

centre  door  bring  you  up  to  the  group,  which  then  astonishes 
you  with  its  magnitude — the  children  being  about  six  feet 
tall. 

The  side  aisles  are  a  succession  of  lesser  arches,  supported 
by  the  richest  marble  columns,  and  decorated  with  all  the 
arts  of  painting,  sculpture,  mosaic,  stucco  and  gilding.  Within 
every  archway,  built  up  against  the  sides,  and  projecting,  by 
means  of  sarcophagus,  statue  and  basso-relievo,  are  magnifi- 
cent monuments  to  the  memory  of  various  popes. 

Passing  down  the  body  of  the  church,  about  midway,  you 
perceive  on  each  side  a  splendid  chapel,  in  one  of  which  the 
regular  service  of  the  church  is  performed.  The  other  is 
generally  closed,  but  appears  to  contain  something  precious 
from  the  number  of  people  who  are  kneeling  in  front  of  it. 
Its  portal  is  decorated  with  two  great  columns  of  extraordi- 
nary beauty. 

At  the  extremity  of  the  nave  sits  the  venerated  statue 
in  bronze  of  St.  Peter — a  plain,  straight-forward-looking 
figure,  holding  the  never  to  be  omitted  keys.  The  toes  of 
one  foot  project  beyond  the  pedestal,  and  are  bright  from 
frequent  contact  with  the  lips  and  foreheads  of  the  faithful. 
You  now  walk  on  the  circular  pavement  beneath  the  lofty 
dome,  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  feet  in  diameter,  and 
approach  the  high  altar  which  is  under  a  sumptuous  baldi- 
chino  or  canopy  of  gilt  bronze,  made  from  the  spoils  of  the 
Pantheon— about  ninety  feet  in  height.  Because  twisted 
columns  are  inappropriate  to  support  great  weights,  it  is 
customary  to  censure  those  of  the  baldichino;  but  if  ever 
the  spiral  column  was  in  a  situation  to  be  admired,  I  think 
it  is  here,  especially  enriched  as  it  is  with  an  encircling 
vine,  because  it  has  nothing  to  support  but  light  ornamen- 
tal objects.  These  columns  are  of  enormous  magnitude, 
yet  look  light  and  beautiful.  Against  this  altar,  a  splendid 
marble  balustrade  surrounds  an  opening,  within  which  a 
beautiful  flight  of  steps  leads  to  the  subterranean  church, 
which  contains  the  bodies  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul.  On 


96 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


and  about  the  balustrade  a  hundred  lamps  burn  day  and 
night. 

We  are  now  beneath  the  mighty  dome,  raised  by  the  ge- 
nius of  Michael  Angelo,  and  we  look  up  to  the  mosaic  de- 
corations on  its  vault,  three  hundred  and  ninety-three  feet! 
From  this  spot  the  eye  ranges  with  wonder  and  delight 
over  the  matchless  scene,  on  both  sides  and  beyond  the 
altar,  through  arches,  broad  and  high,  upon  which  the  dome 
seems  to  rest,  into  spaces  so  vast,  surrounded  with  walls  so 
rich  in  coloured  marbles,  columns  so  bright  and  beautiful, 
statues  so  animated,  mosaic  paintings  so  large  and  excellent, 
that  it  is  like  a  vision  of  enchantment.  But  they  cannot 
be  seen  at  once;  and  the  altars,  monuments,  bassi  relievi, 
and  bronzes,  combined  with  all  the  beauties  and  wonders  of 
architecture,  and  the  unspared  gold  which  enriches  the 
vaulted  ceilings,  must  be  visited  again  and  again.  The 
eye  never  tires  in  surveying  such  perfect  elegance  and 
symmetry. 

When  you  enter  the  church,  the  grand  altar  and  baldichi- 
no  in  the  distance,  and  all  that  is  under  and  about  the  dome 
appear  small;  and  when  you  are  under  the  dome,  the  space 
around  you  is  so  vast,  that  the  nave  seems  of  inconsiderable 
size.  When  you  are  in  one  of  the  transepts,  and  see  nothing 
of  the  great  hall  through  which  you  have  passed,  what  you  see 
is  in  itself  a  mighty  temple.  A  similar  one  exists  at  the  other 
extremity,  and  when  you  attempt  to  go  round  behind  the 
great  altar,  you  pass  through  other  divisions,  each  of  which 
might  constitute  a  church. 

The  tribune,  a  great  semicircular  termination  beyond  the 
great  altar,  besides  two  monuments,  is  emblazoned  with  an 
immense  assemblage  of  towering  gilt  bronze  figures  and  rays 
of  glory,  radiating  from  a  bright  painted  window  representing 
the  descending  dove,  in  honour  of  the  pontifical  chair  of  St. 
Peter,  which  is  said  to  be  preserved  here. 

In  this  region  of  enchantment,  surrounded  by  the  most  mag- 
nificent columns  and  glowing  marbles,  that  once  embellished 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


97 


the  palaces  of  the  Roman  emperors,  the  attention  is  powerful- 
ly invited  to  the  great  mosaic  pictures  which  decorate  almost 
every  altar, — pictures  which  neither  damp,  nor  smoke,  nor 
time  can  injure — so  wonderfully  executed,  with  semi-vitreous 
porcelain,  that  every  line  and  tint  of  the  original  pictures  are 
indelibly  expressed;  and  possessing  lustre  by  polish,  which  is 
given  to  the  surface  when  the  work  is  finished.  The  best 
known  are  the  Transfiguration  by  Raphael,  and  the  Com- 
munion of  St.  Jerome  by  Domenichino;  but  the  most  excel- 
lent is  the  St.  Petronilla,  which  is  more  beautiful  than  the 
original  picture  by  Guercino,  preserved  in  the  museum  of  the 
Capitol. 

Canova's  monument  of  Clement  XIII.  is  of  unequal  merit, 
but  is  distinguished  by  two  noble  lions  which  are  universally 
admired.  The  most  perfect  work  of  sculpture  in  St.  Peter's 
is  the  Piety,  as  it  is  called,  by  Michael  Angelo — the  dead  body 
of  Christ  on  the  lap  of  the  Virgin;  but  it  is  in  a  dark  situa- 
tion, much  too  high  to  be  seen  to  any  advantage,  and  looks 
diminutive  in  comparison  with  the  other  statues  in  the  church, 
which  are  all  colossal.  The  exquisite  beauty  of  the  dead  body 
may  be  better  appreciated  by  examining  the  plaster  cast  of 
it  in  the  French  academy  on  the  Pincian  bill. 

Except  the  tribune,  which  is  elevated  two  steps,  the  whole 
of  the  vast  extent  of  pavement  in  St.  Peter's  is  one  perfect 
level,  composed  of  marbles  of  various  colours  and  figures, 
beautifully  inlaid,  and  kept  perfectly  clean.  Several  small 
grated  openings  admit  light  into  the  chapels  and  cemeteries 
below. 

A  clerical  guide,  with  wax  candles,  conducted  us  into  the 
subterranean  chapels.  We  did  not  enter  the  magnificent  cor- 
ridor, but  descended  by  a  small  private  stair  at  the  base  of 
one  of  the  great  pilasters  of  the  dome — and  took  only  a  rapid 
glance  at  the  holy  chapels  below  the  high  altar,  enriched  with 
every  art,  and  approached  with  reverence  as  the  depositories 
of  the  mortal  remains  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul.  From  these 
we  passed  through  extensive  circular  galleries,  the  sides  of 

13 


98 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


which  are  lined  with  curious  antiquated  pieces  of  sculpture 
which  had  profusely  decorated  the  ancient  cathedral  built  on 
this  spot  by  Constantine,  part  of  the  pavement  of  which  still 
remains.  The  rest  of  the  dark  region,  through  which  we  ranged 
from  vault  to  vault,  sometimes  stooping  to  pass  the  low  arches, 
was  a  solemn  succession  of  tombs,  from  that  of  Junius  Bassus, 
prefect  of  Rome,  who  died  in  the  year  359,  to  those  of  popes 
and  monarchs  of  modern  date — all  cemented  in  huge  sarco- 
phagi and  massive  boxes  of  granite.  As  we  rose  from  this 
gloomy  dungeon,  the  vastness  and  splendour  of  the  superstruc- 
ture contrasted  with  it  wonderfully  and  delightfully;  and  we 
were  ready  to  agree  with  Forsyth,  that  "  in  magnitude,  ele- 
vation, opulence,  and  beauty,  the  church  of  St.  Peter  has  no 
rival,  and  bears  no  comparison — uniting  the  perfection  of  art 
with  the  beauty  of  holiness — and  justly  claiming  the  affection 
and  reverence  of  the  traveller,  both  as  the  temple  of  taste 
and  the  sanctuary  of  religion. " 

For  the  purpose  of  visiting  the  top  of  the  temple,  a  little 
side  door  was  opened  to  a  stair-case,  or  rather  inclined  plane, 
winding  round  a  wide  well,  of  so  gentle  an  ascent  that  load- 
ed mules  mount  it  to  the  roof:  when  at  the  top  you  are  sur- 
prised in  looking  down  at  the  depth  of  this  well.  You  now 
walk  out  upon  the  extensive  roof  which  is  entirely  covered 
with  stone  and  metal,  comprising  a  singular  variety  of  terrace, 
ridge,  and  parapet,  cupola,  turret,  and  shed — no  less  than  ten 
small  cupolas  rising  like  so  many  little  temples  around  the 
great  dome,  which  from  here  looks  particularly  beautiful.  Its 
external  diameter  is  one  hundred  and  eighty -three  feet:  the 
colossal  statues,  eighteen  feet  in  height,  on  the  parapet  of  the 
front,  are  found  to  consist  of  great  blocks  of  rough  stone, 
clamped  together  with  irons,  and  wrought  to  produce  an  ef- 
fect only  at  a  distance.  A  fountain,  above  the  roof,  pours  out 
a  constant  stream  of  pure  water,  of  which  I  drank;  but  there 
was  no  one  to  tell  me  from  what  source  it  was  derived. 

From  the  roof  we  entered  the  dome,  which  is  built  of  stone, 
and  double;  the  inner  one  open  at  top,  permitting  the  great  mo- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


99 


saic  figure  of  the  Deity  in  the  lantern  of  the  outer  one  to  be 
seen  from  the  pavement  near  the  high  altar.  Between  these 
two  domes,  a  flight  of  white  marble  stairs  conducted  us  to 
the  gallery  which  rests  on  the  top,  affording  a  commodious 
situation  for  a  view  of  Rome  and  its  environs,  which  occu- 
pied and  delighted  us  for  a  long  time — till  the  guide  was  evi- 
dently impatient  to  complete  his  task.  We,  therefore,  fol- 
lowed him  to  a  small  door,  and  up  a  narrow  stair-way,  without 
being  informed  where  it  was  to  lead  us,  till  we  reached  a  per- 
pendicular ladder,  within  a  narrow  circular  shaft;  through  this 
I  followed  my  companions,  whom  I  found  standing  in  the  cop- 
per ball,  now  palpably  eight  feet  one  inch  in  diameter,  though, 
to  the  spectators  on  the  earth,  it  looks  no  bigger  than  a  bomb- 
shell stuck  on  a  gun-barrel;  yet  we  had  crept  up  through  that 
barrel,  and  there  were  six  persons  in  that  ball,  which  is  capa- 
ble of  holding  sixteen.  From  this  extraordinary  aerial  situa- 
tion, four  hundred  and  twenty-three  feet  high,  we  looked 
through  little  openings  in  the  copper  upon  the  world  below, 
with  singular  sensations ;  but  the  confined  air,  heated  by  the 
rays  of  the  sun  and  our  bodies,  made  it  desirable  before  long 
to  abandon  our  exalted  situation,  though  others,  before  us, 
have  stopped  to  sing  Hail  Columbia  or  God  save  the  King. 
In  returning,  the  guide  conducted  us  to  the  opening  at  the 
top  of  the  inner  dome,  through  which  we  looked  down 
upon  the  diminished  baldichino  and  the  atoms  of  men  and 
women  who  were  moving  on  the  pavement  below — and 
then,  descending  to  the  base  of  the  dome,  entered  a  gallery 
within,  and  saw,  with  surprise,  those  rude  gigantic  mosaic 
incrustations,  which  from  below  resemble  well  painted  che- 
rubs and  apostles. 

After  witnessing  the  wonders,  and  enjoying  the  beauties 
of  St.  Peter's,  the  harmonious  result  of  the  talents  of  so 
many  distinguished  architects,  sculptors,  and  painters,  during 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years  of  labour,  at  an  expense  exceed- 
ing fifty  millions  of  dollars, — the  visiter  feels  little  dis- 


100 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


position,  in  the  same  day,  to  tolerate  any  thing  el'se,  and 
goes  away  with  a  resolution  soon  to  return. 

We  had  entered  Rome  by  the  unusual  route  from  Naples 
— a  gentleman,  who  had  long  resided  here,  was  desirous  of 
showing  us  its  aspect  as  it  opens  upon  the  traveller  who 
arrives,  as  more  frequently  happens,  from  Florence — for 
this  purpose  he  took  us  to  the  Porta  del  popolo,  to  which 
the  Flaminian  way  leads.  This  gate-way,  though  designed 
by  Michael  Angelo,  with  its  high  arch,  papal  arms,  columns, 
and  statues  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  offers  nothing  to  ad- 
mire but  its  appearance  of  strength;  and  the  soldiers  who 
guard  it  are  only  the  agents  of  the  police  and  custom-house. 
It  opens  immediately  into  a  great  circular  space,  with  an 
Egyptian  obelisk  in  the  centre,  and  fountains,  statues, 
churches,  hotels,  and  terraces  all  round — a  magnificent  en- 
trance worthy  the  character  of  Rome.  The  red  granite 
obelisk,  seventy-four  feet  long  above  its  pedestal,  and  co- 
vered with  engraved  hieroglyphics,  is  the  first  that  was 
brought  to  Rome  by  Augustus  after  the  conquest  of  Egypt. 
Directly  in  front  are  two  ornamental  twin  churches,  be- 
tween and  beside  which  three  streets  diverge  into  the  heart 
of  the  city — that  on  the  left,  leads  to  the  Piazza  di  Spagna 
— that  on  the  right,  towards  St.  Peter's — and  the  centre 
one,  the  Corso,  rich  in  palaces,  towards  the  hill  of  the  Ca- 
pitol. This  street,  being  the  greatest  thoroughfare,  is  best 
supplied  with  shops  of  every  kind;  but,  even  to  an  Ame- 
rican eye,  they  seem  petty,  and  are  strangely  intermingled 
with  churches,  palaces,  and  dirty  vegetable,  meat  and  gro- 
cery stalls. 

With  a  liberality  corresponding  with  the  character  of 
Rome,  the  government  has  built  a  spacious  room  in  the 
elegant  place  at  the  Porta  del  popolo,  for  the  sole  purpose 
of  affording  artists  an  opportunity  of  exhibiting  their  works, 
by  paying  a  fee  of  only  twenty  cents  a  month.  The  pic- 
tures are  placed  on  easels,  in  suitable  lights,  and  the  room 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


101 


is  open  gratuitously  to  visiters  under  the  care  of  a  respect- 
able person.  Thus,  from  the  obscurity  and  retirement  in 
which  a  young  artist  has  been  studying,  amid  privations 
only  to  be  endured  by  a  devotee,  more  eager  to  nourish  his 
art  than  his  body, — may  the  fruits  of  his  genius  be  drawn 
forth  and  be  made  known,  that  he  may  prosper  under  some 
fortunate  patronage. 

Not  far  from  the  end  of  this  main  street,  after  passing 
through  some  crooked  and  dirty  little  avenues,  you  arrive  at 
the  magnificent  ascent,  ornamented  with  ancient  sculpture, 
which  terminates  on  a  square  where  the  modern  capitol,  or 
senatorial  palace,  court-house,  and  jail  stands,  on  the  base 
of  the  ancient  capitol.  The  two  sides  are  decorated  with 
buildings  in  which  are  preserved  a  noble  collection  of  .  sta- 
tues and  some  paintings,  and  in  the  centre  is  the  eques- 
trian statue  of  Marcus  Aurelius — the  only  large  equestrian 
statue  of  bronze  which  remains  of  ancient  work.  The 
horse's  limbs  are  particularly  worthy  of  admiration. 

Crossing  the  square,  you  descend  another  sloping  way; 
stop,  as  you  go  down,  to  feel,  look,  and  wonder  at  the  enor- 
mous stones  which  remain  of  the  foundation  of  the  ancient 
capitol;  then  enter  the  ruinous  precincts  of  the  Roman  fo- 
rum. The  traveller  whose  early  studies  have  made  hirn  fa- 
miliar with  the  history  of  Rome,  and  whose  memory  can 
recall  the  circumstances  which  distinguished  her  most  emi- 
nent characters,  is  strongly  excited  on  entering  this  re- 
nowned spot:  but  the  artist  who  has  chiefly  thought  of  the 
ruins  of  Rome,  fancying  them  to  be  crowded  groups  of 
picturesque  beauty,  the  charms  of  ancient  art  in  mighty 
ruin,  combined  with  the  romantic  decorations  of  overgrow- 
ing moss  and  hanging  ivy,  will  be  disappointed  in  finding, 
in  fields  of  dirt  and  rubbish,  the  scattered  monuments  of 
ancient  power — the  half-buried  arch,  the  isolated  column 
or  solitary  portico,  and  masses  of  brick  and  mortar;  whilst 
the  carved  -altars,  graceful  statues,  beautiful  vases,  and  ele- 
gant columns  have  been  all  removed,  for  safety  and  more 


102 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


useful  purposes  of  study,  into  the  vast  repositories  of  the 
Vatican.  The  first  object  that  presents  itself  is  the  trium- 
phal arch  of  Severus,  cleared  out  to  its  foundation,  and 
looking  as  if  it  were  built  in  a  cellar.  Its  fractured  and 
dark-stained  arches,  shattered  columns  and  mutilated  bassi 
relievi,  carry  the  mind  back  more  than  sixteen  hundred 
years,  when  the  people  and  senate  of  Rome  commemorated 
the  victories  obtained  over  the  Arabians  and  other  barba- 
rous people,  by  erecting  this  arch,  which  was  surmounted 
by  the  victor  in  a  triumphal  car  with  six  horses — now  gone, 
no  one  knows  where. 

Near  this,  close  under  the  steep  rocky  base  of  the  capitol, 
stand  the  six  front  columns  of  the  Temple  of  Concord,  with 
its  shattered  pediment  and  solid  foundation  exposed  to  view 
by  the  pick-axe  and  spade.  Not  far  distant,  rising  from  its 
pedestal,  which  you  approach  to  see,  in  the  bottom  of  a  deep 
excavation  down  to  the  surface  of  the  ancient  forum,  recently 
dug  at  the  expense  of  an  English  lady,  is  the  column  of  Phocus, 
now  no  longer  a  riddle  to  disputing  antiquarians;  and  farther 
on,  tall  and  isolated,  the  three  beautiful  columns  supporting 
part  of  the  cornice  of  the  Temple  of  Jupiter  Tonans.  Op- 
posite these,  the  portico,  also  looking  as  if  it  were  built  in  a 
cellar,  with  ten  splintered  Cipollino  columns,  of  the  Temple 
of  Antoninus  and  Faustina,  whose  pagan  foundations  have 
been  consecrated  by  a  Christian  superstructure,  thus  pre- 
serving the  portico  and  its  elegant  cornice  for  the  admiration 
of  antiquarians.  Near  this  is  a  little  antique  church,  once 
the  Temple  of  Remus,  of  which  there  yet  remains  the  mar- 
ble door-case,  bronze  doors,  and  circular  vestibule,  on  whose 
marble  pavement  was  engraved  a  plan  of  Rome — portions  of 
which  are  preserved  in  the  museum  of  the  capitol. 

These  are  the  fragments  of  antiquity  that  constituted  a  part 
of  the  proud  magnificence  of  imperial  Rome,  and  served  the 
purposes  of  her  multiform  religion,  and  that  now  meet  the 
eye  as  it  wanders  over  a  field  long  since  degraded  into  a  cow- 
market  ;  and  you  pass  amid  carts  and  piles  of  dirt,  and  deep 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


103 


excavations,  till  you  reach,  on  a  spot  formerly  explored,  a 
central  avenue  of  small  trees,  whose  shade  and  verdure,  in 
summer,  is  equally  desirable  amid  this  waste  and  desolation. 
Here  you  may  take  a  seat,  and  contemplate,  on  one  side,  the 
enormous  brick  walls  and  arches  of  part  of  the  Temple  of 
Peace,  once  deemed  the  most  magnificent  of  Rome,  in  which 
Titus  deposited  the  richest  spoils  of  Jerusalem ;  and,  on  the 
opposite  side,  a  bank,  raised  on  the  Palatine  hill  by  the  ex- 
tensive foundations  of  the  palace  of  the  Caesars. 

On  leaving  the  avenue  you  come  to  the  arch  of  Titus,  the 
sculpture  on  which  still  commemorates  the  plunder  of  Jeru- 
salem. This  little  arch  is  renovated  with  modern  additions 
which  restore  its  entire  form,  and  will  preserve  the  old  por- 
tions, much  to  the  displeasure  of  the  lovers  of  ruins,  who  pre- 
ferred it  in  its  crumbling  state,  covered  with  ivy,  and  over- 
whelmed with  an  ancient  massive  wall.  At  this  spot  a  num- 
ber of  labourers,  lazily  occupied  in  the  schemes  of  excava- 
tion, have  cleared  a  considerable  distance  down,  exposing  to 
view,  at  the  depth  of  fifteen  feet,  the  pavement  of  the  ancient 
Via  Sacra,  which  leads  towards  the  Colosseum  and  the  arch 
of  Constantine.  Fragments  of  enormous  granite  columns  are 
discovered,  lying  in  all  directions,  to  increase  the  wonder 
which  is  excited  by  the  surprising  quantity  of  earth  and  rub- 
bish which  has  accumulated  over  the  ancient  surface,  not  only 
here,  but  in  almost  every  other  part  of  Rome.  The  most 
beautiful  statues  have  been  found  beneath  this  rubbish — thus 
fortunately  preserved,  though  unaccountably  covered. 

The  earth  which  is  thus  removed,  in  very  small  wheel- 
barrows, from  one  place  is  only  piled  up  in  another,  to  be 
again  removed. to  a  third  place;  for  Rome  has  been  so  com- 
pletely filled  up  by  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  city,  and  has  so 
little  now  that  requires  filling  in,  that  the  ingenuity  of  her 
engineers  cannot  find  use  for  this  superfluous  earth — other- 
wise, with  the  labour  which  is  now  wasted,  the  whole  forum, 
from  the  Capitol  to  the  Colosseum,  might  be  entirely  cleared 
out.    The  workmen  employed  here  were  recently  beggars, 


104 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


thus  forced  into  unwonted  occupation  by  the  government;  or 
convicts,  with  chains  round  their  ankles,  guarded  by  lazy 
soldiers  sitting  and  lounging  all  day  in  the  sun,  or  playing 
cards  on  a  stone.  But  in  making  these  changes  in  the  soil 
that  partly  covers  the  ruins  of  ancient  Rome,  the  desire  of 
finding  some  treasure  or  curiosity  induces  the  workmen,  per- 
haps, according  to  the  orders  of  the  superintendants,  rather 
to  scratch  than  dig  it  away.  Recently  a  pot  of  money  was 
found  in  the  forum;  and  the  shops  throughout  Rome  are  sup- 
plied with  ancient  coins,  medals,  bronzes,  lamps  and  broken 
marbles  which  are  picked  up  in  these  excavations.  You 
are  soon  accosted  either  by  one  of  the  workmen,  or  some 
imposter  who  is  concerned  in  the  manufacture  of  antiques, 
and  tempted  to  buy  a  cameo,  coin  or  earthen  lamp. — Rather 
than  not  sell,  the  antique  monger  with  unblushing  modesty, 
will  frequently  fall  in  the  price  from  two  dollars  down  to 
four  cents. 

In  passing  down  the  Via  Sacra,  you  may  be  told  that  at 
the  left  hand  is  the  Temple  of  Venus;  but  nothing  remains 
to  interest  you,  except  one  alcove  or  high  niche  handsomely 
indented  with  reticulated  pannels;  the  rest  is  a  plain  wall,  a 
part  of  the  pavement  and  some  foundation  stones.  Deeper 
down  into  the  centre  of  the  cleared  space,  which  now  ex- 
poses the  original  pavement  and  water  courses,  stands  what 
is  said  to  have  been  an  elegant  fountain;  but  all  that  remains 
of  it  is  a  small  ugly  pile  or  hollow  core  of  bricks.  This 
cleared  ground  leads  you  to  the  arch  of  Constantine,  which 
you  may  contemplate  with  pleasure  on  its  original  level,  still 
retaining  all  its  features  of  magnificence,  except  the  trium- 
phal car  and  bronze  horses,  which  have  disappeared.  Its 
bassi  relievi  and  statues,  though  not  in  the  best  taste,  give  it 
an  aspect  of  great  richness;  but  its  fluted  columns  would  not 
be  suspected  to  be  of  the  beautiful  yellow  antique  marble, 
but  for  a  small  portion  of  one  which  is  cleaned  at  its  base. 

Let  us  now  advance  to  contemplate  the  Colosseum,  or 
Flavian  amphitheatre,  as  it  is  seen  in  the  usual  approach  to- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


105 


wards  one  end;  being  an  oval  one  thousand  six  hundred  and 
forty-one  feet  in  circumference.  The  left  hand  external 
wall  rises  to  its  original  height,  whilst  that  to  the  right  is  en- 
tirely taken  away,  exposing  the  interior  arches  of  stone  and 
brick-work,  variously  mutilated.  The  colour  of  the  whole 
mass  of  building  is  of  a  russet  hue,  diversified  by  stains  and 
patches  of  gray  and  green,  so  that  there  is  little  distinction 
between  the  brick  arches,  intermingled  with  stone,  and  the 
external  arches,  which  are  of  travertine,  originally  white. 
In  a  height  of  a  hundred  and  fifty-seven  feet  are  comprised 
three  circuits  of  arches,  eighty  in  each  circuit,  one  above  the 
other,  surmounted  by  a  fourth  story;  the  arches,  columns, 
pilasters  and  cornices  are  beautifully  proportioned  to  produce 
the  impression  of  grandeur  and  elegance;  especially  when 
viewed  on  one  side  where  the  vast  perspective  of  the  oval 
sweeps  round  in  unbroken  lines^  and  you  might  imagine  the 
whole  edifice  to  be  entire — stupendous  and  magnificent!  At 
one  extreme  of  this  outer  wall  several  new  arches  have  been 
built  to  protect  the  old;  and  at  the  other  an  immense  but- 
tress, to  support  large  portions  which  were  ready  to  falL 

On  entering  the  arena,  two  hundred  and  seventy-eight  feet 
long,  which  is  now  cleared  out  to  its  ancient  level,  you  look 
round  upon  a  mighty  scene  of  ruin  and  devastation — not  a 
single  seat  being  left  where  eighty-seven  thousand  were  ac- 
commodated; and  the  whole  gallery  demolished  where  twen- 
ty thousand  more  could  stand.  The  broken  arches,  upon 
Which  the  seats  rested,  are  supported  by  new  timber  and 
brickwork,  and  every  passage  cleared  out,  among  which  you 
may  pass  and  see  with  astonishment  the  huge  stones  which 
were  employed  by  consummate  skill  to  give  strength  to  the 
foundation  arches  of  this  enormous  structure.  Some  spots, 
however,  are  left  neglected  and  covered  with  plants  and 
shrubs,  as  a  sample  of  its  former  guise.  My  old  friend,  as  an 
artist,  is  among  those  who  regret  the  change;  for  he  remem- 
bers seeing  the  Colosseum  a  beautiful  wilderness  of  ruins, 
vines  and  shrubbery.    But  though  the  total  amount  is  re- 

14 


106 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


duced,  the  variety,  in  its  exposed  points,  and  warafnooks  and 
corners,  is  not  less  than  it  was;  for  Sebastiani,  a  Roman  bo- 
tanist, in  his  Flora  Colossea,  describes  two  hundred  and 
sixty  plants  which  grow  there;  and  the  number  has  since 
been  found  to  reach  three  hundred. 

A  consecrated  cross  stands  in  the  middle  of  the  arena, 
which  is  kissed  in  remembrance  of  the  Christian  martyrs 
who  suffered  here;  around  the  circumference  is  a  series  of 
holy  stations  at  which  prayers  are  said;  and  at  one  side  are 
a  desk  and  benches  where  the  eloquence  of  a  bald-headed 
Dominican  occasionally  excites  the  sympathies  of  a  casual 
audience.  . 

In  this  arena,  during  a  hundred  successive  days,  at  its  de- 
dication by  Titus,  no  less  than  five  thousand  wild  beasts  with 
one  thousand  gladiators,  were  sacrificed  in  mutual  combats 
to  gratify  the  sanguinary  taste  of  the  warlike  Romans,  in- 
cluding, no  doubt,  a  full  proportion  of  females — sisters,  wives, 
and  mothers — who  were  to  influence  the  minds  of  the  rising 
generation.  These  bloody  spectacles  were  not  abolished  till 
the  sixth  century.  The  amphitheatre  was  still  entire  in  the 
eighth  century,  but  in  the  eleventh  it  was  converted  into  a 
fortress  by  a  Roman  baron,  and  taken  and  retaken,  till  the 
fourteenth  century,  when  it  became  a  hospital.  Its  barba- 
rous demolition  commenced  in  the  sixteenth  century,  by  the 
nobles,  cardinals  and  popes,  who  remorselessly  tore  down 
immense  portions  of  the  noble  structure  and  all  the  interior 
marble  and  columns,  which  they  employed  in  the  fabrication 
of  their  palaces,  especially  that  of  the  cardinal  Farnese;  and 
it  was  not  till  the  middle  of  the  last  century  that  its  destruc- 
tion was  arrested  by  its  consecration  to  religious  purposes. 

An  obliging  monk,  on  the  approach  of  strangers  to  his  sen- 
try box,  at  one  side  within  the  arches,  opens  a  gate,  which 
enables  you  to  ascend  a  temporary  flight  of  wooden  steps  to 
the  upper  galleries.  A  noble  corridor  or  gallery,  with  lofty 
arches,  surrounds  the  exterior  part,  and  permits  you  to  look 
out  of  every  archway  on  the  country  around — for  the  Co- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


107 


losseum  stands  detached  from  all  other  buildings,  and  at  one 
extremity  of  modern  Rome.  In  some  places  the  marble 
stairs  still  remain  which  lead  to  the  upper  galleries.  There 
we  found,  in  an  impressive  solitude,  an  artist  with  his  paint- 
box on  his  lap,  devotedly  imitating  a  beautiful  effect  of  light, 
which  broke  through  the  fractured  vault,  concentrated  upon 
a  small  flight  of  steps. 

The  upper  galleries  or  circling  corridors,  which  led  to 
ranges  of  seats,  and  supported  others  which  rose  above,  though 
robbed  of  all  their  ornamental  columns,  still  retain  some  of 
the  original  plastering  on  the  walls,  and  great  portions  of 
the  pavements  which  consist  of  small  bricks  (four  inches 
long,  one  and  three-fourths  wide,  and  three-fourths  thick) 
laid  edgewise.  Some  of  the  pavements,  in  places  exposed 
to  the  weather,  have  been  carefully  relaid  in  cement,  and 
gutters  and  pipes  are  made  to  throw  off  the  rain  and  prevent, 
as  much  as  possible,  the  farther  process  of  decay.  From 
these  pavements,  which  resemble  terraces  (having  lost  their 
vaults  and  super-incumbent  seats,)  it  is  interesting  to  look 
round  upon  the  vast  internal  oval,  and  to  indulge  the  imagi- 
nation with  the  contrast  between  its  present  desolation  and 
what  it  must  have  been  in  its  perfect  state,  brilliant  with 
spectators  in  rich  costume  and  glittering  armour,  moving  to 
the  excitement  produced  by  desperate  combats. 

Hours  may  be  spent  in  ranging  through  the  solitudes  of  these 
vast  corridors  and  mutilated  arches;  and  a  regret  is  felt  when 
other  engagements  require  the  visiter  to  seek  the  wooden 
stairway,  still  wondering  as  he  descends.  The  Dominican 
monk  who  unlocks  the  latticed  door,  politely  receives  a  part- 
ing fee,  which,  1  believe,  is  seldom  given  with  regret. 

The  Baths  of  Titus  are  near  the  Colosseum.  A  stone 
wall  encloses  the  field  to  which  you  are  directed,  and  an  in- 
scription assures  you  that  you  have  not  mistaken  the  garden 
gate  that  remains  open  for  visiters,  who  are  received  by  a 
person  residing  on  the  spot. 


108 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


What  was  at  first  the  Palace  of  Nero,  appears  to  have 
served  only  as  a  foundation  for  the  Baths  of  Titus,  who 
hid  the  front  by  a  great  semicircular  building  and  por- 
tico, the  basement  story  of  which  is  the  only  portion  now 
remaining.  There  was  formerly  a  garden  cultivated  on  the 
ruinous  top  of  these  imperial  chambers,  where  the  grass  and 
trees  are  still  suffered  to  grow;  but  the  government  has  for- 
bidden the  ground  to  be  worked,  by  which  prevention  less 
water  penetrates  through  the  subterranean  vaults,  which,  in 
one  part  support  a  public  magazine  of  gunpowder.  We 
were  first  conducted  into  a  great  arched  hall,  where  there  is 
kept  under  lock  and  key  a  quantity  of  fragments  of  bases 
and  capitals  of  columns  of  the  most  exquisite  workmanship; 
oil  and  wine  jars,  and  bits  of  various  sculpture,  recently  found 
in  clearing  out  the  rubbish  with  which  the  chambers  were 
entirely  filled.  These  consist  of  a  great  number  of  vast  halls 
and  corridors,  formerly  open  to  the  light,  when  used  as  the 
dwelling  of  Nero;  but  entirely  built  over  by  Titus,  who 
mounted  his  baths  and  gymnastic  halls  in  proud  majesty  over 
them.  In  one  of  the  halls  we  were  shown  the  niche  where 
stood  the  master-piece  of  sculpture,  the  Laocoon — after- 
wards removed  to  ornament  the  baths  above,  where  it  was 
found.  The  custode  carried  with  him  a  little  fixture  of  wax- 
tapers  attached  to  a  very  long  reed,  which  he  held  at  arm's 
length,  to  show  us  the  arabesque  paintings  on  the  vaults  of 
several  rooms,  executed  with  fresco  colours  and  gold,  and 
still  in  excellent  preservation.  These  are  said  to  be  the 
only  documents  which  remain,  to  show  the  style  in  which  the 
houses  of  the  ancient  Romans  were  adorned.  Some  of  the 
walls  of  the  inner  courts,  which  had  never  been  plastered, 
were  of  the  most  exact  workmanship — the  bricks  of  equal 
size,  neatly  made  and  well  burnt — and  apparently  of  recent 
erection.  From  the  Baths  of  Titus  you  have  a  fine  view  of 
the  most  perfect  side  of  the  Colosseum. 

Returning  to  the  arch  of  Constantine,  and  stopping  a  few 


NOTES  ON  ITALY, 


109 


minutes  again  to  admire  its  numerous  sculptures  and  fluted 
columns,  we  proceeded  quite  into  the  country,  though  still 
within  the  walls  of  Rome,  to  the  immense  ruins  of  the  Baths 
of  Caracalla.  On  approaching  them  you  are  astonished  at 
the  bulk  and  extent  of  these  walls,  which  form  a  great  square 
one  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  on  each  side. 
The  high  arches  of  the  front  entrances  were  boarded  up,  a 
small  door  in  one  of  which  was  opened  to  us  by  an  old  wo- 
man who  gave  us  no  information,  but  suffered  us  to  range 
through  this  astonishing  wilderness  of  brick  and  mortar.  Few 
vestiges  of  the  covered  ceilings  remain,  but  spacious  walls, 
arches  and  niches  astonish  the  eye  and  bewilder  the  imagina- 
tion. Room  after  room,  hall  after  hall,  of  such  extent  and 
height  produce  a  singular  impression  of  the  power  and  mag- 
nificence of  ancient  Rome.  Some  of  the  most  beautiful  sta- 
tues were  found  here — among  them  the  Group  of  the  Far- 
nese  Bull,  the  Hercules  and  the  Flora,  which  are  now  at  Na- 
ples, and  indicate  the  high  character  of  its  decorations,  when 
its  halls  and  courts  were  frequented  by  poets,  philosophers 
and  heroes,  and  its  chambers  below  by  one  thousand  six  hun- 
dred bathers  at  once.  Piles  of  rubbish  and  rank  weeds  give 
a  wild  aspect  to  the  whole  interior;  and  the  ivy  grows  un- 
molested on  the  walls.  We  picked  up  amongst  the  rubbish 
some  beautiful  little  specimens  of  serpentine  porphyry  and 
marbles.  Remains  of  great  granite  columns,  and  fragments 
of  pure  white  Corinthian  capitals  were  lying  about. 

Returning  into  the  place  of  the  forum,  and  near  the  arch 
of  Titus,  we  entered  the  Farnesian  gardens.  A  gray  bearded, 
round-shouldered  gardener  received  us,  and  remitted  us  to 
the  guidance  of  his  little  son,  who  conducted  us  up  a  flight  of 
weed-covered  steps  into  a  couple  of  small  rooms,  where  it  is 
customary  to  admire  some  very  indifferent  fresco  ornaments, 
because  their  colours  remain  bright.  Near  these,  nearly  hid 
among  the  tall  grass  and  weeds,  we  were  shown  fragments  of 
beautiful  sculpture,  in  white  marble,  which  had  belonged  to 
the  Arcadian  temple  of  Apollo.    This  elevated  plain,  on  the 


no 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


Palatine  mount,  was  the  spot  where  Romulus  built  his  hut 
and  commenced  his  city.  Here  Augustus  erected  his  palace, 
which  was  augmented  by  succeeding  emperors,  till  Nero 
proudly  surpassed  them  all  in  an  edifice  so  vast,  that  its  por- 
ticos alone  contained  three  thousand  columns,  and  so  rich  in 
decoration,  that  it  was  called  the  Golden  House;  whose  gar- 
dens, theatres,  baths,  and  subordinate  buildings  extended  over 
all  the  neighbouring  grounds.  Succeeeding  emperors,  in- 
vading barbarians,  and,  finally,  ambitious  popes,  gradually  de- 
molished these  extensive  buildings,  which  furnished  materials 
for  the  Colosseum,  the  Baths  of  Titus,  and  other  great  works. 
A  large  portion  of  the  main  building  was  entire  in  the  eighth 
century.  The  levelled  ground,  much  of  which  is  over  unseen 
ruins,  is  now  cultivated  as  a  kitchen  garden  or  farm,  and  many 
of  the  subterranean  chambers,  that  are  accessible  from  a  ter- 
race, are  used  as  stables  and  barns.  From  this  terrace,  to- 
wards the  capitol,  is  a  beautiful  view  of  part  of  Rome  and 
the  country  down  the  Tiber. 

With  the  mind  still  occupied  by  desolated  monuments  of 
ancient  magnificence,  we  return  into  the  busy  streets  of  mo- 
dern Rome,  occasionally  passing  some  antique  wall,  battered 
gate-way,  or  shattered  portico,  forming  parts  of  modern  struc- 
tures, till  we  reach  the  open  square  within  which  rises  the 
elegant  column  of  Trajan,  composed  of  thirty-four  blocks  of 
marble,  upon  which  runs  up  a  spiral  band  of  sculptured  his- 
tory in  basso  relievo.  During  the  French  government  of 
Rome,  the  space  around  it  was  cleared  out,  and  fragments  of 
numerous  granite  columns  were  found  prostrate.  These,  of 
various  lengths,  are  now  erected  on  the  foundations  where 
they  served  to  ornament  the  basilica  or  public  hall.  The 
sunken  space  is  handsomely  walled  up,  and  large  steps  per- 
mit a  descent  into  the  forum  for  a  closer  inspection  of  the 
fragments  of  sculpture,  which  are  built  in  the  walls  or  placed 
around.  It  is  probable,  that  the  two  churches  which  stand 
near  this  column  cover  other  portions  of  Trajan's  forum. 

We  pass  the  fountain  of  Trevi,  and  leave  its  copious  wa- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


Ill 


ters,  sculptured  rocks,  and  river  gods  for  another  examination, 
and  hasten  to  take  a  glance  at  the  Pantheon,  which  is  to  be 
found  still  deeper  in  the  busiest  part  of  Rome;  but,  in  ap- 
proaching it,  we  pass  the  immense  portico  of  the  temple  of 
Antoninus  Pius,  before  mentioned  as  the  site  of  the  central 
custom-house  or  dogana.  The  eleven  Corinthian  columns 
which  compose  its  single  front,  each  forty  feet  in  height, 
though  all  their  flu  tings  are  fractured,  and  scarcely  a  vestige 
remains  of  the  mouldings  of  their  bases,  occasioned,  doubt- 
lessly some  contiguous  conflagration,  yet  spread  out  so  broad 
and  high,  and  support  so  elegant  an  entablature,  that  they 
must  be  often  seen  to  be  sufficiently  admired ;  although  much 
of  their  beauty  is  injured  by  walls  and  windows  which  fill  up 
the  intercolumniations.  When  you  pass  the  lazy  beggars  who 
lounge  upon  the  basements,  and  enter  the  court-yard  of  the 
dogana,  you  may  see  a  portion  of  the  vast  vaulted  roof  re- 
maining, and  the  enormous  rocks  which  have  been  wonder- 
fully raised  upon  these  high  columns — rocks,  as  seen  behind 
in  their  native  rough  state,  yet  so  elegantly  wrought  into  beau- 
ty and  apparent  lightness  on  the  front  surface. 

A  little  farther  on,  we  enter  an  open  square,  the  middle  of 
which  is  decorated  by  a  modern  fountain  and  a  small  Egyp- 
tian obelisk,  many  feet  above  the  ancient  level.  Here,  in 
sober  majesty,  stands  the  venerable  Pantheon,  surviving  the 
injuries  of  time  and  the  violence  of  barbarism.  Of  the  se- 
ven steps  which  rose  to  its  portico,  only  two  are  above  ground, 
and  to  them  you  descend  on  the  sloping  pavement,  which 
considerably  impairs  the  grandeur  of  its  aspect.  The  whole 
building  is  of  so  dark  a  hue  that  you  might  imagine  it  had 
been  for  ages  surrounded  with  blacksmiths'  shops.  This  broad 
front  of  eight  columns,  and  four  in  depth,  (though  really  only 
containing  eight  others,)  forms  the  vestibule  to  the  circular 
dome-covered  temple.  The  columns,  forty-two  feet  high 
and  fourteen  in  circumference,  are  each  of  one  piece  of 
red  oriental  granite,  but  of  the  same  black  colour  as  the  rest 
of  the  building,  not  excepting  what  should  be  the  white  mar- 


112 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


ble  of  the  capitals.  Lamentable  fractures  are  perceived  un- 
der the  eaves  of  the  pediment,  as  the  eye  ranges  along  the 
mouldings  of  the  cornice,  until  it  reaches  the  body  of  the 
building,  which,  externally,  is  an  ugly  circular  wall  of  brick, 
supporting  a  dome,  the  grand  simplicity  of  whose  aspect  is 
injured  by  two  misplaced  modern  belfries. 

On  entering  the  portico  the  dark  columns  seem  to  swell 
into  greater  dimensions — you  approach  one  of  them,  that  you 
may  compare  the  size  of  man  with  the  towering  mass  of  mor- 
tal workmanship — you  strike  your  hand  against  it,  but  the  co- 
lumn, which  has  stood  unmoved  for  nineteen  centuries,  does 
not  vibrate  to  your  blow.  You  must  indulge  in  these  emo- 
tions of  astonishment  before  you  advance  to  the  magnificent 
doors  of  sculptured  bronze,  and  enter  the  temple  of  Jupiter 
and  the  gods,  now  consecrated  to  the  Virgin  and  the  mar- 
tyrs. 

The  interior  is  a  circular  hall,  one  hundred  and  forty-nine 
feet  in  diameter,  the  walls  of  which,  eighteen  feet  thick,  are 
indented  with  niches  for  statues,  but  now  filled,  with  gaudy 
altars,  and  the  intermediate  spaces,  rich  with  the  most  pre- 
cious marbles  and  columns,  the  beauty  of  which  can  scarce- 
ly be  seen  for  the  coat  of  dirt  which  shamefully  veils  them. 
The  panel  indentations  of  the  noble  vault,  which  were  once 
covered  with  silver,  are  now  rough  and  apparently  unfinished. 
A  central  opening,  twenty -five  feet  in  diameter,  admits  both 
light  and  rain ;  but  the  light  no  longer  falls  on  statues  of  first 
rate  excellence,  and  the  rain  only  serves  occasionally  to  bright- 
en the  hues  of  variegated  stones  which  in  part  compose  the 
ancient  pavement.  The  statue  of  a  vestal  with  a  little  girl, 
which  was  found  in  the  subterranean  part  of  the  temple, 
now  occupies  one  of  the  altars  as  a  St.  Ann,  and  is  worthy 
of  some  attention,  being  singularly  in  the  style  of  Michael 
Angelo;  but  the  other  altars,  which  are  tawdry  and  crowded 
with  puerile  ornaments,  exhibit  nothing  interesting. 

This  temple  was  despoiled  of  its  bronze  covering  by  Con- 
stantine  II.    It  is  now  protected  with  lead — and  the  massive 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


113 


bronze  which  enriched  the  ceiling  of  the  portico,  was  taken 
away  in  1632,  to  be  converted  into  the  sumptuous  baldichino 
of  St.  Peter's,  and  one  hundred  cannons  for  the  Castle  of  St. 
Angelo — so  enormous  was  the  quantity. 

The  proportions  of  the  portico  and  dome — the  grandeur 
and  simplicity  of  the  cornice  and  vault — and  the  beauty  of 
the  marbles  and  columns,  within  the-vast  circumference — are 
of  such  rare  excellence  that,  in  despite  of  spoil,  decay,  and 
dirt,  they  are  contemplated  with  untiring  admiration,  and  jus- 
tify the  taste  which  pronounces  the  Pantheon  a  model  of  per- 
fection— the  only  entire  specimen  which  is  left  to  us  of  the 
magnificence  of  ancient  Rome. 

It  was  said  of  one  of  the  emperors,  that  he  found  Rome 
built  of  brick,  but  he  left  it  of  marble.  This  expression  con- 
veys a  very  false  idea,  both  of  ancient  and  modern  Rome ; 
for  the  most  magnificent  edifices,  temples,  basilicas,  aque- 
ducts, baths — were  generally  built  of  brick,  and  only  cased 
with  marble;  very  few  of  the  temples  are  entirely  of  mar- 
ble, or  even  Travertine,  which  is  a  species  of  marble,  hard, 
and  of  a  fine  texture,  but  disagreeably  cavernous,  so  as  to  ex- 
hibit a  rotten  appearance  when  seen  near;  it  is,  however, 
strong  and  durable,  and  of  an  agreeable  light  cream  colour. 
Nothing  can  more  satisfactorily  prove  our  assertion  than  the 
fact,  that  most  of  the  modern  palaces,  which  are  only  in  part 
marble,  were  built  out  of  the  materials  afforded  by  the  de- 
struction of  the  ancient  temples,  palaces,  baths,  arid  amphi- 
theatres, which  would  not  have  been  so  lamentably  demo- 
lished, but  that  the  Travertine  could  only  be  procured  at  Ti- 
voli,  with  the  labour  and  cost  of  eighteen  miles  transporta- 
tion. Many  of  the  most  elegant  palaces  of  Rome,  with  walls 
of. plastered  brick,  have  no  other  stone  than  their  basement 
and  the  casings  of  the  windows  and  doors.  With  but  few 
exceptions  the  whole  city  of  Rome  is  built  of  brick,  but  all 
the  houses  are  plastered,  with  great  skill  and  dexterity,  to  re- 
semble stone,  outside  and  inside — pilasters,  capitals,  cornices, 

15 


114  NOTES  ON  ITALY. 

and  other  decorations.  The  puzzolana  earth,  or  Roman  ce- 
ment, with  which  this  is  effected,  is  a  most  valuable  posses- 
sion. I  have  seen  a  rough  piece' of  brick  work  in  a  few  weeks 
converted  into  a  splendid  palace,  and  old  ruinous  edifices  me- 
tamorphosed by  the  trowel  into  buildings  of  the  most  modern 
taste.  Ordinary  workmen  readily  construct  terraces  through 
which  the  water  cannot  penetrate.  Families  who  live  in  up- 
per stories  are  thus  accommodated  with  yards  and  gardens  on 
the  tops  of  their  houses. 

Travellers  have  described  the  streets  of  Rome  as  badly 
paved  and  dirty.  It  is  true  that  in  rainy  weather  they  are 
muddy,  as  all  streets  are  that  have  no  raised  side  walks;  but 
the  best  streets  are  certainly  well  paved  with  small  flat  square 
stones  which  are  placed  diamond  fashion — the  less  frequented 
streets  being  paved  with  pebbles  in  the  manner  of  our  Ame- 
rican cities.  They  are  frequently  swept  by  convicts,  who  are 
guarded  by  soldiers,  and  the  dirt  is  immediately  taken  away, 
and  not  suffered  to  be  again  spread  over  the  stones  by  neglect. 
Indeed,  in  dry  weather — and  months  of  it  occur  together— 
the  bare  stones  are  somewhat  unpleasant  to  walk  on,  from 
the  want  of  dirt,  which  sometimes  is  spread  over  them  when 
certain  grand  processions  are  to  take  place,  expressly  for  the 
purpose  of  lessening  the  noise  of  the  carriage  wheels.  But 
there  is  always  abundance  of  dirt  about  the  miserable  dwell- 
ings of  the  poor,  who  inhabit  the  ground  floors,  which  are 
the  stables,  bed-rooms,  and  shops  of  every  sort  of  industry, 
as  well  as  poverty  and  wretchedness.  Not  unfrequently  do 
you  see  the  smoke  issuing  out  of  the  door  or  window  of  one 
of  these  shops  or  manufactories,  there  being  no  other  chim- 
ney; but  the  tenants  of  these  dark,  frequently  damp,  and  al- 
ways dirty  places,  instead  of  being  squalid,  as  some  travel- 
lers have  represented,  are  the  very  pictures  of  brown  health; 
men,  women,  and  children,  as  fat  and  dirty  as  they  can  well 
be— and  amongst  them  more  very  old,  but  very  merry  old 
men  and  women  than  I  ever  saw  in  any  other  place.  Dread- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


115 


fill  as  the  malaria  may  be  to  the  imaginations  of  the  travel- 
ling valetudinarian,  these  poor  veteran  Romans  have  not  been 
the  victims  of  it. 

Very  few  of  these  streets  are  straight,  though  they  are 
often  continuous  in  a  winding  manner.  But,  however 
crooked  they  are,  you  are  generally  directed  to  go  straight 
on,  which  means  that  you  must  go  on  as  straight  as  you 
can.  The  Corso  is  the  longest  straight  street  in  Rome,  be- 
ing nearly  a  mile.  It  is  narrow,  but  well  paved,  and  has  a 
singular  kind  of  side-walk,  which  in  some  places  is  only  a 
foot  above  the  street,  in  others  as  much  as  three  and  four 
feet,  where  it  is  indented  with  steps  to  the  different  stores, 
and  others  to  rise  and  descend  at  every  cross  street.  These 
side  elevations  are  very  convenient  in  the  afternoon,  about 
sunset,  especially  on  Sundays  and  holidays,  when  the  Ro- 
mans take  their  fashionable  ride  in  open  carriages,  going  in 
a  string  down  on  one  side  and  up  on  the  other — at  one  ex- 
tremity turning  round  the  column  of  Antoninus,  and,  at  the 
other,  round  the  Egyptian  obelisk  at  the  Porta  del popolo. 
During  the  hour  of  this  fashionable  drive,  it  is  often  difficult 
to  find  an  opportunity  to  cross  the  street;  for  on  these,  as 
indeed  on  all  other  occasions,  no  Roman  coachman  seems 
to  have  the  least  consideration  for  any  person  on  foot — 
he  never  either  stops  or  moves  an  inch  out  of  his  direct 
course,  contenting  himself  with  crying  out  " guarda" — 
equivalent  to  "take  care."  I  have  often  enjoyed  the  com- 
mon privilege,  in  studying  the  aspect  of  the  ladies  who  fill 
these  lounging  carriages,  though  they  are  sometimes  accom- 
panied by  gentlemen,  and  have  been  astonished  at  their  se- 
riousness and  silence;  as  if  their  whole  thoughts  were  en- 
gaged in  the  deep  consideration  of  their  own  importance; 
or,  perhaps,  from  the  frequency  of  its  occurrence,  indiffe- 
rent to  the  whole  scene,  and  silent  to  avoid  the  fatigue  of 
talking  amid  such  a  noise  of  wheels,  and  hoofs,  and  cries  of 
"guarda."  It  has  been  called,  and  it  appeared  to  me,  a 
stupid  amusement. 


116 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


While  the  rich  are  thus  lolling  in  their  coaches,  the  poor, 
having  ended  their  day's  work,  in  which  they  never  over 
exert  themselves,  may  be  seen  in  warm  weather  lying  and 
sitting  on  the  ground  by  scores  in  the  neighbouring  streets, 
eating  a  piece  of  bread  or  a  fresh  head  of  lettuce — in  gene- 
ral silent  and  serious,  like  their  betters — but,  occasional- 
ly bursting  into  a  roar  of  laughter  at  some  coarse  joke,  and 
often  manifesting  their  approbation  by  a  general  clapping  of 
hands. 

The  houses,  as  they  are  observed  by  the  stranger  in  pass- 
ing along  the  streets,  or  as  he  enters  them  to  accommodate 
himself  with  lodgings,  are  extremely  irregular  in  height, 
breadth,  and  style;  many  of  them  the  merest  masses  of 
plastered  brick,  but  others,  though  now  used  for  the  most 
ordinary  purposes,  were  the  habitations  of  wealth  and  taste, 
indicated  by  grotesque,  and  sometimes  elegant  sculptured 
ornaments  over  the  doors  and  windows.  These  masses  of 
buildings,  occupied  below  as  stores,  work-shops,  or  sta- 
bles, above  are  divided  and  subdivided  into  every  sort  of 
lodgings,  from  the  best  furnished  suites  of  carpeted  apart- 
ments, with  fire-places  expressly  prepared  for  the  English, 
to  double  or  single  rooms  for  the  sojourning  of  the  curious 
stranger;  the  family  that  let  out  the  rooms  often  occupy, 
the  least  comfortable  part  of  the  premises.  Such  are  the 
buildings  that  are  intermingled  in  close  contact  with  the 
most  splendid  palaces — their  broad  fronts  enriched  with 
sculpture,  and  the  high  arched  gateway  opening  into  mag- 
nificent courts,  ornamented  with  columns,  statues,  and  foun- 
tains, and  leading  to  sumptuous  apartments  and  delightful 
gardens.  Besides  these  objects  of  architectural  luxury, 
churches  abound  in  every  street,  often  fantastic — some- 
times elegant — whose  portals  are  open  all  the  morning  to 
the  pious  or  the  curious,  who  may  soon  be  satisfied  with 
their  uniform  richness,  if  not  with  their  occasional  treasures 
of  fine  art. 

A  striking  feature  in  the  appearance  of  Rome  is  found  at 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


117 


the  corners  of  many  streets,  where  there  are  devotional 
decorations  of  emblematic  stucco,  and  sometimes  of  good 
marble  sculpture,  surrounding  a  picture  or  statue  of  the 
Virgin  Mary;  calculated  in  a  peculiar  manner  to  impress 
the  stranger  with  the  conviction  of  ecclesiastical  influence, 
which  so  profusely  displays  the  emblems  of  its  power. 

In  many  thoroughfares  temporary  benches  and  shelves  are 
seen  piled  up  with  vegetables,  chiefly  lettuce  and  radishes, 
which  are  very  cheap,  and  constitute  a  great  part  of  the  food 
of  the  poor.  It  is  curious  to  see  them  eating  a  long  compact 
head  of  lettuce,  as  they  walk  along  the  street,  without  salt  or 
bread.  The  shops  for  the  sale  of  provisions  are  well  filled  with 
bacon,  sausages,  fish,  &c.,  and  the  windows  are  generally  lined 
with  columns  of  cheese,  of  which  the  Italians  seem  fond, 
though  we  consider  them  tough  and  insipid.  In  some  of  the 
narrow  thoroughfares,  where  the  height  of  the  houses  and 
the  smallness  of  the  shops,  render  them  very  dark,  samples 
of  goods  for  sale  are  placed  outside  in  little  glass  cases,  which 
often  form  a  continuous  line  for  a  great  distance.  As  an  ad- 
ditional proof  how  badly  the  Romans  are  furnished  with 
stores,  you  see  every  where,  even  in  the  best  streets,  numbers 
of  portable  shops,  consisting  of  large  trays  or  flat  baskets, 
each  carried  by  two  men,  who  cry  out  the  kind  of  goods  and 
their  prices,  and  sometimes  display  them  on  the  pavement. 
The  owners  of  these  basket  shops  may,  therefore,  live  in  the 
most  unfrequented  situations.  Yet  stores  are  to  be  found 
containing  large  assortments  of  every  kind  of  goods,  espe- 
cially of  French  and  English  manufacture.  At  the  doors  of 
many  shops  you  see  little  children  picking  the  dirt  out  of 
grain,  which  they  dry  in  troughs  when  the  sun  happens  to 
shine  in  their  favour. 

As  the  warm  weather  advances,  every  kind  of  workman 
who  can  get  out  his  little  bench,  apparatus  or  chair,  is  at 
work  in  the  street  close  up  to  his  house.  I  have  counted 
nine  shoemakers,  with  their  stalls,  in  front  of  one  house, 
for  the  purpose  of  enjoying  light  and  air.     Benches  and 


118 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


chairs  are  likewise  occupied  by  the  idle,  chiefly  old  gentle- 
men, in  front  of  the  coffee-houses,  especially  in  the  Corso, 
where  they  are  amused  by  the  continual  movement  of  car- 
riages and  pedestrians.  In  the  evening,  especially  on  holi- 
days, tables  are  spread  out  with  white  clothes,  and  brilliantly 
illuminated  and  decorated  with  flowers,  containing  various 
articles  of  food,  whilst  a  cook  is  busy  on  one  side  with  his 
portable  kitchen,  cooking  dough-nuts,  or  other  articles  which 
are  eaten  on  the  spot. 

Every  thing  that  is  not  measured  by  the  yard  stick  is  sold 
by  weight;  even  apples,  cherries  and  strawberries.  The 
scale  and  steelyard,  therefore,  are  carried  about  the  streets 
with  these  articles.  But  the  most  singular  market  in  Rome 
is  one  that  occurs  every  Wednesday  morning  in  the  great  ob- 
long square  called  Piazza  Navona.  There,  spread  out  on 
the  ground,  or  arrayed  on  benches,  you  may  find  every  kind 
of  old  or  second-hand  articles  of  cloth,  wood,  iron,  or  brass; 
old  pictures,  books,  coins  and  antiquities,  as  well  as  cheap  ar- 
ticles of  earthen  ware,  tools,  &c. — and  at  one  extremity  of 
the  piazza,  all  sorts  of  vegetables.  The  shops  around  the 
place  partake  of  the  miscellaneous  and  second-hand  style  of 
the  market,  although  it  is  the  largest  place  in  the  city,  and 
decorated  with  no  less  than  three  costly  fountains,  of  which 
the  centre  one  by  Bernini,  is  a  singular  assemblage  of  great 
rock  work  and  colossal  sculpture,  surmounted  with  an  Egyp- 
tian obelisk. 

Even  carpenters  and  wheelwrights  often  work  in  the 
streets — indeed  their  shops  are  frequently  too  small  for  them 
conveniently  to  carry  on  their  business;  and  I  have  seen  a 
coach  building  in  a  place  where  the  workmen  had  scarcely 
room  to  get  round  it.  Carpenters  and  cabinet  makers  saw 
many  of  their  boards  out  of  the.  logs,  which  are  fixed  in  front 
of  their  shops  on  forked  trusses  which  hold  the  timber  slant- 
ing upwards,  so  that  it  may  be  sawed  by  two  men,  one  on 
it,  the  other  below,  at  first  standing,  then  kneeling,  and  at  last 
sitting  flat  on  the  ground.    But  the  timber  is  knotty,  and  the 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


119 


boards  generally  are  narrow  and  rough;  they  therefore  glue 
several  together,  and  fill  up  all  crevices  with  plaster  of  Paris 
and  glue.  Their  cabinet  work  presents  but  a  tolerable  ex- 
ternal finish,  while  the  inside  is  not  only  coarse,  but  frequent- 
ly bad  and  weak.  It  is  otherwise  with  their  works  in  stone, 
in  which  they  excel,  furnishing  vases,  sarcophagi  and  imita- 
tions of  antique  remains  to  the  curious  of  all  nations  who 
visit  Rome. 

Immense  quantities  of  eggs  a*re  for  sale  at  the  provision 
shops,  especially  at  Easter;  but  a  more  extraordinary  spec- 
tacle occurs  in  many  parts  of  the  city,  even  in  the  most  gay 
and  fashionable  streets.  I  have  seen,  sometimes,  a  hundred 
hens  feeding  in  and  around  the  door  of  one  of  these  shops, 
by  which  you  are  aware  that  fresh  eggs  may  be  procured 
every  day.  The  shop-keeper  may  be  deceived  in  those 
which  are  brought  him  from  the  country;  but,  if  he  be  an 
honest  man  himself,  with  his  own  hens  he  can  assure  his 
customers,  at  double  or  triple  price,  that  his  eggs  are  just 
laid. 

The  English  and  French  style  of  dress,  both  among  men 
and  women,  prevails  not  only  in  the  higher  classes,  but 
through  all  others,  and  in  every  part  of  the  city.  Huge 
Parisian  bonnets,  full  set  with  broad  ribands,  are  seen  in 
every  street;  contrasting  widely  with  the  fashion  of  the  coun- 
try, which  covers  the  head  with  a  white  linen  cloth,  folded 
square,  and  either  hanging  loose,  or  kept  flat  by  sticks  within 
them,  or  long  pins  like  skewers,  which  bind  up  the  hair. 
Long  waists  and  stays  are  universal — the  rich  wear  the  fa- 
shionable corset  of  France — the  poor,  the  stays  of  the  coun- 
try, thick  set  with  bone,  covered  with  gay  velvet,  and  worn 
outside  of  their  gowns,  when  they  have  any  on,  and  tied  at 
the  top  and  back  of  the  shoulders  with  long  bunches  of  gay 
ribands.  An  apron  skirted  with  many  coloured  bands  hangs 
in  front  of  a  short  petticoat  with  similar  bands ;  and  the  shoes 
have  great  silver  buckles.  The  taste  for  large  ear  and  fin- 
ger rings  is  universal,  and  heavy  rolls  of  beads  encircle  al- 


190 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


most  every  neck — the  dark  red  coral  being  calculated,  by 
its  contrast,  to  improve  their  brown  Italian  complexion. 
False  hair  is  not  so  much  worn  as  with  us,  and  the  gray  locks 
of  many  a  Roman  dame  curl  out  beneath  her  head  dress,  in 
correct  accordance  with  the  number  and  depth  of  her  wrin- 
kles, which  are  never  insulted  with  rouge— a  disgrace  which 
even  the  palest  beauty  abhors.  The  labouring  men  of  the 
city  always  appear  in  coarse  white  stockings,  which  they 
pride  themselves  in  keeping  smooth  and  tight ;  velvet  bree- 
ches, rarely  buttoned  at  the  knees ;  and,  on  holidays,  enor- 
mous buckles  in  their  shoes — their  round-about  jacket  thrown 
across  one  shoulder.  The  peasants,  as  they  appear  in  town, 
differ  from  these,  in  wearing  coarse  pointed  wool  hats,  deco- 
rated with  ribands  or  flowers  ;  wretched,  old,  ragged,  or 
patched  clothes;  breeches  without  buttons  or  strings  at  the 
knees;  sandals  which  they  make  out  of  raw  hide,  turning  up 
a  little  above  the  sole,  and  with  strong  cords  bound  to  their 
feet,  the  cord  passing  around  their  legs  and  up  to  their  knees, 
encircling  coarse  linen  or  rags,  which  they  wear  instead  of 
stockings.  On  Sundays  and  holidays,  certain  streets,  as  the 
Repetti,  Vire  the  rendezvous  of  labouring  men,  who  are  then 
a  little,  but  very  little,  better  dressed  than  on  other  days;  al- 
ways displaying  their  stout  legs  in  coarse  white  stockings, 
their  knees  still  unbuttoned,  and  their  shirt  collars  open  even 
in  cool  weather,  and,  if  warm,  their  jacket  across  one  shoul- 
der, one  sleeve  hanging  in  front — the  other  behind,  and  shift- 
ed to  the  other  shoulder,  should  their  exposure  to  the  wind 
or  current  of  air  require  it.  I  have  often  stopped  to  notice 
these  groups,  and  have  been  surprised  to  find  them  generally 
silent,  but  with  an  expression  of  content.  Occasionally,  when 
a  joke  would  circulate,  it  was  managed  with  the  fewest  words. 
It  is  only  when  much  excited,  that  a  Roman  displays  any  vo- 
lubility of  tongue  or  extravagance  of  gesticulation  to  disturb 
his  usual  air  of  dignity — whether  above  or  below  contempt 
— whether  with  much  thought  or  with  no  thought  at  all. 
Great  as  are  the  privileges  of  a  Roman  lady  of  some  rank, 


NOTES  ON  ITALY.  121 

the  women  in  humble  life  are  often  degraded  by  the  most 
servile  slavery,  whilst  their  lazy  husbands  are  basking  in  the 
sun,  or  engaged  in  idle  gossip.  I  have  seen  women  carrying 
bricks  and  mortar,  and  even  scraping  with  their  fingers  the  mud 
which  had  accumulated  in  filthy  sewers;  and  they  appear  in 
general  to  labour  cheerfully.  It  is  equally  remarkable  that  the 
men  are  disposed  to  assemble  on  holidays,  to  play  their  fa- 
vourite games  of  bowling  in  the  gardens  of  public  houses, 
without  any  intermingling  of  the  other  sex.  The  Romans 
in  these  respects  resemble  our  North  American  savages,  the 
lords  of  the  forest. 

But  there  is  a  custom  common  here  worthy  of  admiration, 
that  of  servant  women  riding  in  open  carriages  with  their 
mistresses,  especially  on  holidays,  even  when  they  have  not 
the  charge  of  nursing;  it  indicates  domestic  harmony  and 
great  kindness  of  heart. 

The  Romans  are  certainly  a  sober  people,  but  the  lower 
classes,  though  they  are  not  afflicted  by  Irish,  Scotch,  or  Ame- 
rican whiskey,  Holland  gin,  or  English  porter,  yet  often  in- 
dulge to  excess  in  the  cheap  wine  of  the  country.  Every 
body  drinks  wine,  and  to  offer  water  to  a  beggar  would  be  an 
insult.  It  is  only  used  occasionally  with  lemons  in  hot  weather. 
At  a  late  hour  in  the  evening,  in  many  streets,  may  be  heard 
the  noise  of  Bacchanalian  merriment  proceeding  from  some 
deep  cavernous  chamber,  which,  seen  by  lamp-light,  shows 
nothing  but  coarse  plastered  walls,  a  greasy  brick  pavement, 
and  benches  and  tables,  around  which,  in  the  absence  of  all 
other  comforts,  the  most  miserable  enjoy  their  principal,  or 
only  meal  of  the  day,  and  freely  circulate  the  bottle  as  a  so- 
cial bond.  Besides,  on  holidays,  the  wine  shops  are  frequent- 
ed by  groups  of  men  and  women,  who  sometimes  exhibit 
around  the  door  a  noisy  and  licentious  crowd.  But  wine  is 
not  always  deemed  sufficient,  and  those  who  are  disposed  to 
take  a  walk  about  sunrise,  may  every  day  see  persons  with 
little  baskets  of  aqua  vitse,  which  is  swallowed  by  artificers 
between  their  beds  and  their  work-shops. 

16 


122 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


In  the  morning,  herds  of  goats,  from  ten  to  thirty,  are 
moving  in  all  directions  to  supply  the  inhabitants  with  milk; 
and  in  the  evening  they  are  seen  going  out  of  the  city  gates, 
concentrated  in  large  herds  of  hundreds  together,  in  the  charge 
of  a  small  number  of  goatherds.  A  few  asses  perform  the 
same  domestic  service,  but  I  have  seldom  seen  any  cows  in 
the  city;  indeed  in  the  country  they  seem  scarce,  though  the 
most  beautiful  gray  oxen,  with  large  horns,  are  every  where 
at  work,  and  bring  loads  of  provisions  into  Rome ;  at  that 
fane  their  horns  are  tied  with  strong  ropes  to  the  pole  of  the 
\vagon  to  prevent  mischief  by  the  motion  of  their  necks. 
After  the  goats  are  milked,  their  keepers  permit  them  to  rest 
in  some  unfrequented  or  wide  street,  where  they  exhibit  a 
remarkably  mild  and  inoffensive  character,  though  they  pos- 
sess a  sober  aspect  which  our  little  mischievous  and  timid 
goats  have  not.  I  never  looked  at  goats  with  pleasure  be- 
fore, and  my  pleasure,  as  an  artist,  was  increased  by  the  con- 
sideration, that  these  objects  of  picturesque  beauty  furnish 
the  excellent  and  cheap  material  of  the  Roman  goat-hair 
pencils. 

In  searching  for  the  arch  of  Janus,  I  passed  through  some 
of  the  dirtiest  and  busiest  streets  of  Rome,  beyond  the  Ca- 
pitol, thronged  with  a  population  of  sturdy  mechanics,  exer- 
cising their  trades  with  a  vigour  and  activity,  totally  unlike 
the  indolence  which  prevails  in  other  parts  of  the  city  fre- 
quented by  strangers.  In  this  quarter  are  many  blacksmith 
shops,  where  I  saw,  around  a  central  fire  place,  nine  or  ten 
men,  with  naked  bodies,  vigorously  but  gaily  clinking  their 
hammers.  But  in  vain  did  I  inquire  of  them  for  the  arch 
of  Janus  or  Quadrifrontis.  Still,  at  every  corner  where  I 
stopped,  I  was  directed  to  go  straight  on,  which  ever  way 
I  happened  to  be  looking — so  that  I  entirely  encircled  the 
spot,  where  at  last  I  found  the  massive  arch,  which  is  com- 
monly supposed  to  have  been  built  as  a  market  place  or  pro- 
tection from  the  sunbeams.  Clumsy  as  it  is,  I  rather  think 
it  was  intended  as  an  ornament  at  the  intersection  of  cross 


NOTES  ON  ITALY.  123 

streets,  though  it  is  now  divested  of  ornaments,  and  there 
are  no  streets  crossing  at  it.  During  the  civil  wars  it  was 
converted  into  a  fortress. 

Near  this  we  found  and  looked  into  a  broken  section  of 
the  Cloaca  maxima,  or  great  ancient  sewer  of  Rome,  still 
conducting  a  muddy  and  stinking  stream  into  the  Tiber. 
From  a  little  archway  at  one  side  issues  a  clear  rivulet, 
which  turns  the  foul  water  so  effectually  aside,  that  even  in 
the  sewer  you  may  venture  to  drink  it  and  be  assured  of  its 
unrivalled  purity,  whether  it  proceeds  from  the  fountain  of 
Juturna  or  not.  A  branch  of  it,  a  little  higher  up,  furnishes 
a  situation  within  a  dark  cavern  for  a  washerwoman.  An- 
tiquarians are  wonderfully  excited  by  the  solidity  of  this 
sewer,  which  has  continued,  for  upwards  of  two  thousand 
three  hundred  years,  to  answer  the  same  purpose  for  which 
it  was  constructed  by  Tarquin,  though  it  is  nearly  filled  with 
gravel  up  to  the  keystone. 

In  perambulating  Rome,  the  variety  of  fountains  both  sur- 
prise and  delight  the  stranger;  for  this  city  is  more  profusely 
supplied  with  them  than  any  other  in  the  world.  Of  these 
the  fountain  of  Trevi  is  the  most  magnificent,  being  an  im-. 
mense  structure  of  the  last  century,  consisting  of  artificial 
rocks,  built  up  against  the  palace  Buoncompagni ;  among 
which  a  colossal  statue  of  Ocean  stands  in  a  great  scallop 
shell  drawn  by  sea-horses,  which  are  led  by  Tritons,  The 
cascades,  winding  streams,  and  jets  of  water  that  issue  from 
a  most  copious  source,  fall  into  and  fill  a  large  marble  reser- 
voir. The  sound  of  its  falling  waters  may  be  heard  some 
distance  from  the  place.  This  vast  supply  of  water  is  brought 
to  Rome  by  means  of  an  aqueduct,  built  by  Agrippa  for  the 
use  of  his  baths. 

The  Fontana  Paolina,  situated  on  the  brow  of  Monte  Gia- 
nicola,  was  erected  more  than  two  hundred  years  ago,  and  is 
supplied  by  an  aqueduct  built  by  Adrian,  which  brings  the 
water  to  this  great  height  from  a  distance  of  twenty-five 


124 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


miles.  It  is  an  ornamental  building,  out  of  which  the  water 
falls  into  a  large  marble  reservoir,  and,  passing  under  ground, 
supplies  not  only  the  city  below,  and  the  roof  of  St.  Peter's, 
but  furnishes  an  abundant  stream,  besides,  for  the  use  of  a 
forge  and  various  mills,  which  you  pass  in  ascending  to  the 
fountain.  I  stopped  at  the  grist-mill  to  examine  the  water 
wheel,  the  noise  of  which  attracted  my  attention.  It  was 
horizontal,  and  its  shaft,  unaided  by  modern  improvements, 
and  in  primeval  simplicity,  bore  the  stone  which  was  grind- 
ing in  the  room  above.  The  w7ater,  as  it  issued  obliquely 
from  the  lower  end  of  a  long  tube,  struck  against  vanes  on 
the  wheel,  and  turned  it  with  great  velocity  in  a  cloud  of 
spray.  From  the  site  of  this  fountain,  and  the  beautiful  ter- 
race of  the  church  of  St.  Pietro  in  Montorio,  you  have  a  de- 
lightful view  of  Rome. 

The  two  fountains  in  front  of  St.  Peter's  are  seldom  men- 
tioned without  the  epithet  of  beautiful.  Each  consists  of  a 
pyramidal  succession  of  basins,  projecting  from  a  central  shaft, 
which,  at  the  top,  throws  up  a  number  of  copious  jets;  the 
water  falling  from  basin  to  basin — the  last  of  which  is  a  single 
piece  of  granite  fifty  feet  in  circumference.  When  the  air  is 
calm,  the  white  heads  of  the  concentrated  jets  and  the  regu- 
lar fall  of  the  water  from  the  edges  of  the  basins,  and  finally 
into  the  great  reservoir  at  the  base,  are  certainly  beautiful. 
But  it  is  idle  to  talk  of  the  atmosphere  of  Rome  being  re- 
freshed by  these  fountains :  no  one  approaches  them  in  the 
broiling  sun  to  enjoy  their  spray,  while  the  air  is  always  suffi- 
ciently cool  under  the  shady  passages  of  the  circular  corri- 
dors. A  heated  imagination,  however,  may  possibly  be  cooled 
by  the  refreshing  and  rural  noise  of  the  falling  water.  When 
a  strong  wind  blows,  the  water  is  dispersed  like  rain,  ex- 
posing to  view  the  basins,  darkly  covered  with  dripping  moss, 
as  soon  as  your  attention  can  be  withdrawn  from  a  beautiful 
rainbow,  which  is  seen  if  the  sun  be  shining  from  behind 
you. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY, 


125 


I  have  before  spoken  of  the  Fountain  in  the  Piazza  di 
Spagna,  made  in  the  form  of  a  large  antique  bark,  which  is 
filled  and  surrounded  with  water,  continually  pouring  in 
and  out  of  it,  in  various  streams — one  of  the  conceits  of  the 
inexhaustible  Bernini.  In  warm  weather  a  number  of  le- 
monade stalls,  making  great  display  of  glasses  and  thick- 
skinned  lemons,  are  stationed  around  this  Travertine  bark, 
borrowing  their  miniature  fountains  by  means  of  temporary 
tin  tubes,  and  affording  their  lemonade  which  is  made  with- 
out sugar  at  one  cent  a  glass.  I  have  likewise  alluded  to 
the  three  great  fountains  in  the  Piazza  Navona.  The  cen- 
tre one  is  especially  worth  describing.  Within  a  circu- 
lar reservoir  seventy-three  feet  in  diameter,  rises  a  great 
mass  of  artificial  rock  work,  forty  feet  in  height,  widely 
perforated  through  its  four  sides  at  the  base,  on  the  top  of 
which  an  Egyptian  obelisk  of  fifty  feet  rises  from  a  pedestal 
of  ten  feet — making  a  total  of  one  hundred  feet.  On  the 
rocks,  which  discharge  large  streams  of  water,  are  four  co- 
lossal figures,  by  their  emblems  denoting  the  rivers  Danube, 
Nile,  Plata  and  Ganges.  Coming  out  of  the  cavernous 
openings  at  one  side  is  a  River  Horse,  and,  at  the  other,  a 
Lion.  I  did  not  remain  in  Rome  late  enough  to  witness 
the  sport  of  walking  and  driving  around  these  fountains,  in 
the  month  of  August,  when  the  whole  place  is  flooded  with 
water  every  Saturday  and  Sunday  afternoon;  but,  for  the 
purpose  of  showing  the  Grand  Duchess  of  Russia  the  inge- 
nuity of  Roman  artificers  of  fire-works,  there  was  an  extra- 
ordinary display  which  I  did  witness  in  this  place,  consisting 
of  every  species  of  rockets,  wheels,  snakes,  bees,  wreaths, 
garlands,  crowns,  ciphers,  inscriptions,  temples,  fountains, 
and  irruptions,  that  could  be  effected  by  gunpowder  and  the 
chemical  agents  of  light  and  colour.  Besides  the  spectators 
in  all  the  neighbouring  windows,  and  standing  in  every  va- 
cant space,  there  were  probably  not  less  than  twenty  thou- 
sand rush-bottomed  chairs,  in  regulated  rows,  hired  out  for 
the  evening  all  around  the  piazza.    This  brilliant  spectacle. 


126  NOTES  ON  ITALY. 

which  lasted  half  an  hour,  concluded  by  the  most  singular 
effects  of  fiery  fountains  around  the  obelisk,  the  cavernous 
rocks  at  the  same  time  being  illuminated  with  a  glowing  red 
light,  as  if  the  infernal  Pluto  had  suddenly  taken  mysterious 
possession  of  the  premises. 

In  short,  go  where  you  may  in  Rome,  fountains  are  seen 
in  most  of  the  public  places,  in  front  of  churches  and  pa- 
laces ;  besides  a  vast  number  which  are  constantly  playing  in 
private  court-yards  and  gardens.  The  little  garden  of  the  Bor- 
ghese  palace  is  so  encircled  with  them,  in  the  midst  of  rich 
sculpture,  that  it  maybe  called  the  Garden  of  Fountains: 
and  the  extensive  grounds  of  the  Villa  Borghese,  which  are 
always  open  for  the  public  enjoyment,  near  the  Porta  del 
popolo,  alone  possess  as  many  elegant  fountains  as  would 
serve  for  the  embellishment  of  a  city.  All  these  fountains, 
in  and  about  Rome,  are  supplied  from  three  ancient  aque- 
ducts which  have  been  kept  in  repair — five  others  have  fallen 
into  ruins,  which  fed  the  fountains,  and  especially  the  public 
baths  of  ancient  Rome.  But  the  modern  Romans  are  so  lit- 
tle addicted  to  the  lustrations  of  their  predecessors,  notwith- 
standing the  aqueducts  which  are  left  them,  that  there  are  now 
no  public  baths,  and  only  two  small  establishments  at  hotels, 
where  a  hot  bath  may  be  procured  at  a  high  price.  In  a  less 
refined  manner,  dirty  artificers  may  sometimes  be  seen,  below 
the  last  bridge,  on  Saturdays,  bathing  in  the  muddy  stream  of 
the  rapid  Tiber, 

The  vast  supply  of  water  which  scours  and  sweetens  the 
sewers  of  Rome,  does  not  induce  the  inhabitants  to  scrub 
their  houses,  as  is  customary  in  America  with  a  less  supply, 
because  the  floors  are  generally  paved  with  rough  bricks, 
which  from  age  are  frequently  very  open  in  the  interstices: 
nor  do  they  scrub  down  their  stair-cases,  which  only  serve 
as  streets  to  get  up  into  their  mountains  of  houses,  inhabit- 
ed by  many  families.  But  they  are  enabled,  at  a  mode- 
rate cost,  to  have  their  clothes  well  washed,  either  at  home 
or  at  washing  establishments,  where  you  may  see,  in  a  front 


NOTES  ON  ITALY.  127 

room  or  shop,  a  great  cistern  of  stone,  with  a  continual  stream 
of  fresh  water,  and  around  it  a  dozen  brawny  armed  women, 
merrily  at  work,  every  day  from  morning  till  night.  The 
clothes  are  dried  either  on  the  tops  of  houses  or  on  cords 
which  are  stretched  high  across  the  least  frequented  streets. 
But,  still  to  speak  of  water,  as  the  water  of  the  aqueducts 
only  flows  to  the  fountains,  and  as  every  house  is  inhabited 
by  many  families,  you  may  frequently  see  one  well  of  wa- 
ter, in  the  court-yard,  serve  them  all,  by  means  of  iron 
rods  or  wires  which  go  up  from  it,  in  various  angles,  to  the 
kitchen  window  of  every  inhabitant.  By  means  of  a  rope 
and  pulleys,  a  copper  bucket  slides  down  the  iron  rod; 
the  pulley  being  stopped  directly  over  the  well,  the  bucket 
continues  to  descend  into  it,  till  it  rests  on  the  water,  when 
its  heavy  iron  handle  upsets  and  fills  it,  to  be  drawn  up. 
The  waste  water  from  every  house  is  conducted  under  co- 
ver into  the  sewers,  which  are  in  every  street,  and  which 
are  essentially  sweetened  by  that  which  flows  through  them 
from  the  fountains. 

The  bridges  in  Rome  are  so  distant  from  each  other,  that 
it  is  found  convenient  to  employ  a  ferry-boat,  which  is  sta- 
tioned at  a  populous  point  of  the  city,  whence,  in  a  sort 
of  scow,  half  roofed,  moving  obliquely  by  the  action  of 
the  current,  and  by  means  of  a  stay-rope  and  pulley, 
running  on  a  rope  which  crosses  the  river,  I  have  often 
passed  over  to  the  country  paths  that  lead  behind  the  green 
ramparts  of  St.  Angelo  to  the  ever-attractive  regions  of  St. 
Peter's  and  the  Vatican.  But,  when  the  high  summer  sun 
becomes  insupportable,  without  the  shelter  of  trees,  I  was 
glad  to  seek  the  circuitous  shade  of  the  narrow  streets  which 
form  the  accustomed  route  by  the  bridge  of  Sant'  Angeli. 

Having  rambled  in  all  directions  to  glance  at  the  exter- 
nal appearance  of  Rome,  to  understand  its  ground  plot,  and 
to  become  a  little  acquainted  with  its  characteristics;  we 
are  now  at  leisure  to  enter  its  magnificent  palaces,  to  exa- 
mine the  treasures  of  modern  art  which  they  contain;  and 


128 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


which,  in  connexion  with  the  ruins  of  ancient  splendour, 
and  the  remains  of  ancient  art,  constitute  the  chief  wealth 
of  Italy,  by  means  of  the  visiters  who  are  attracted  from 
all  parts  of  the  world. 

In  the  demolition  of  ancient  edifices,  and  in  the  excava- 
tions among  their  ruins,  many  of  the  beautiful  works  of  art 
became  the  property  of  the  nobles  and  cardinals;  some 
serving  to  ornament  their  own  palaces,  and  others,  by  vari- 
ous means,  falling  into  foreign  hands,  by  which  they  are 
lost  to  Rome — as  the  Farnesian  statues  at  Naples.  But, 
during  the  government  of  a  long  succession  of  popes,  the 
specimens  of  ancient  art  that  could  be  procured  by  purchase, 
by  actual  excavations,  and,  finally,  by  exclusive  right,  have 
been  deposited  in  galleries  constructed  in  the  pontifical  pa- 
lace to  receive  them — forming  a  wonderful  series  of  collec- 
tions in  a  connected  range  of  the  most  splendid  galleries  and 
halls. 

The  principal  entrance  to  the  apartments  of  the  Vatican 
is  by  pursuing  the  corridor  which  rises  in  a  sloping  direc- 
tion at  the  right  hand  corner  of  St.  Peter's  to  the  statue 
of  Charlemagne,  where  the  stair-case  begins  which  was  de- 
signed by  the  sumptuous  Bernini.  Under  richly  ornament- 
ed vaults.and  cornices,  beautiful  yellow  marble  columns  rest 
on  the  steps,  detached  from  the  walls  on  each  side.  This 
magnificent  colonnade  of  steps  conducts  you  to  the  regal 
hall,  profusely  enriched  with  sculpture,  painting,  and  gild- 
ing— more  curious  and  interesting  to  see  than  to  be  de- 
scribed. Besides  leading  to  the  guard  room  of  the  pope's 
apartments,  out  of  this  hall  the  Pauline  and  Sistine  chapels 
open. 

The  Sistine  Chapel  is  a  large,  high,  oblong  box  of  a  room, 
without  a  single  architectural  projection;  but  the  flat  plas- 
tered ceilings  and  walls  are  entirely  covered  with  fresco  de- 
corations that  were  intended  to  supply  that  deficiency.  The 
walls,  painted  by  various  artists  of  merit  in  their  time,  and 
now  much  injured,  offering  nothing  worthy  of  notice;  but 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


129 


the  ceiling,  designed  and  executed  by  Michael  Angelo,  is 
eminently  worthy  of  admiration,  as  exhibiting  the  best 
productions  of  his  pencil,  and  the  only  paintings  by  that 
colossal  genius  not  yet  destroyed  by  smoke,  and  which 
display  the  grandeur  of  his  invention  and  the  boldness 
of  his  execution.  But  the  Last  Judgment,  on  the  farthest 
end  wall,  in  the  dark,  stained  with  damp  and  mould,  and 
blackened  by  smoke,  fails  to  excite  astonishment  and  admi- 
ration, and  would  not  for  a  moment  arrest  attention,  but 
for  its  former  celebrity.  Indeed,  it  now  retains  its  reputa- 
tion only  by  right  of  ancient  usage — being  as  completely  in 
ruin  as  are  the  baths  of  Caracalla.  It  is  difficult  and  painful 
to  trace  out  the  nature  of  the  composition;  which  can  be 
better  understood  by  a  common  engraving,  and  infinitely 
better  by  the  small  cotemporaneous  copy  which  is  in  the 
museum  at  Naples. 

The  Pauline  Chapel,  adjoining,  was  originally  enriched 
by  two  paintings  by  Michael  Angelo;  but  they  are  hidden 
beneath  the  smoke  of  countless  wax  candles  which  the  pa- 
geantry of  the  church  requires  annually. 

From  this  place  you  may  pass  through  some  apartments 
into  the  lodges  or  open  galleries  of  the  Vatican;  but  the 
usual  mode  is  by  a  passage  or  road  which  winds  up  to  a 
large  square  court-yard,  surrounded  by  arcades  and  lodges, 
or  open  galleries,  three  stories  high,  and  communicating 
with  the  museum  of  statues,  library,  and  picture  gallery. 
Numerous  great  stair-cases,  a  wonder  in  themselves,  lead 
to  various  parts  of  these  lodges,  and  the  first  to  which  you 
are  directed  is  the  Loggia  di  Bafaelle,  the  ceilings  of 
which  were  painted  by  Raphael  and  his  scholars.  Whilst 
the  French  were  in  possession  of  Rome,  this  gallery  was 
entirely  enclosed  with  glass  to  prevent  any  farther  injury, 
by  the  weather,  to  these  relics  of  the  genius  of  Raphael. 
They  consist  of  small  tablets  with  figures,  apparently  not 
more  than  two  feet  high,  and  command  but  little  attention, 
except  from  students  of  the  art.    The  simple  and  chaste 

17 


130 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


style  of  their  composition  is  sufficiently  rendered  in  the  en- 
gravings which  have  been  made  from  them,  as  the  pictures 
themselves  possess  little  merit  of  colour,  and  from  their 
height  are  seen  with  difficulty  and  pain.  The  walls  are 
tastefully  decorated  with  arabesques,  which  Raphael  conde- 
scended to  compose,  in  imitation  of  the  dwellings  of  the 
ancient  Romans,  as  seen  in  the  baths  of  Titus. 

But  the  neighbouring  stanze,  or  rooms  of  Raphael,  are 
the  chief  objects  of  attention  and  veneration,  commencing 
with  the  hall  of  Constahtine,  on  whose  immense  broadside 
is  his  Victory  over  Maxentius  near  Rome,  designed  by  Ra- 
phael, but  executed  after  his  death  by  his  scholars.  This 
work  shows  great  variety  and  vigour  of  composition,  but 
has  evidently  been  executed  in  haste.  The  other  three 
rooms  are  chiefly  painted  by  Raphael  himself,  or  his  scho- 
lars under  his  direction.  Besides  pieces  of  inferior  merit, 
in  which,  however,  there  are  always  fine  heads,  figures, 
and  draperies  to  admire,  the  most  distinguished  are  the 
School  of  Athens,  the  Conflagration,  Heliodorus,  and  St. 
Peter  in  Prison;  which  are  best  described  by  referring  to 
the  engravings  from  them.  These  frescos  are  so  much  in- 
jured by  time  and  smoke,  and  the  lances  of  Hessian  sol- 
diers, when  these  rooms  served  them  for  barracks,  that 
they  excite  but  little  pleasure  at  first  sight.  Artists  of  all 
nations  are  continually  copying  them — some  mounted  on 
scaffolding  up  to  the  ceiling — some  drawing,  others  paint- 
ing, and  all  seeking  out,  with  almost  idolatrous,  or  rather 
superstitious  admiration,  the  beauty  of  every  head,  hand, 
limb,  and  fold  of  drapery.  I  could  not  help  thinking  that 
some  of  the  large  drawings,  made  from  them  in  black  and 
white  crayon,  were  more  beautiful  than  the  originals;  be- 
cause they  give  us  all  the  merit  of  form  and  composition 
without  any  colouring,  which  is  better  than  what  is  bad, 
and  without  the  deformities  of  scratches  and  smoke.  When 
they  were  first  painted  and  seen  in  all  their  freshness,  they 
were  doubtless  calculated  to  delight  and  astonish;  especially 


•4 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


131 


when  compared  with  the  formal,  inanimate,  and  laborious  pro- 
ductions of  preceding  artists,  and  even  of  Raphael  himself, 
as  he  issued  from  the  rigid  school  of  Perrugino.  At  that  time, 
too,  the  character  and  occupation  of  an  artist,  supposed  to  be 
born  with  a  superior  genius,  and  patronised  by  all  the  wealth 
and  power  of  the  church  and  state,  were  objects  of  constant 
attention  and  excitement.  Every  church  and  palace  was  to 
be  decorated,  and  not  a  wall  or  ceiling  was  permitted  to  re- 
main without  the  embellishment  of  the  pencil.  The  frescos 
of  Raphael,  therefore,  when  they  appeared,  after  he  had  felt 
the  invigorating  influence  of  Michael  Angelo's  works  in  the 
Sistine  Chapel,  were  admired  as  the  productions  of  inspired 
genius,  and  their  author  was  venerated  as  the  divine  Raphael. 
But  these  works  are  now  faded,  dirty,  defaced  and  repaired, 
to  such  a  degree,  that  a  just  conception  of  them  cannot 
be  formed  without  the  assistance  of  careful  drawings  made 
from  them.  From  the  example  of  Camucini,  the  celebrated 
historical  painter  of  Rome,  these  drawings  are  frequently 
made  of  single  figures  or  groups,  at  a  time,  of  full  size,  and 
carefully  shaded  on  gray  paper  with  black  and  white  crayon. 

One  of  the  devoted  admirers  of  Raphael,  who  would  copy 
nothing  in  Rome  from  any  other  master,  told  me  that  he  had 
lately  been  in  conversation  with  an  English  gentleman,  who 
remarked,  that  if  such  a  genius  as  Raphael  was  now  living, 
when  the  arts  are  more  advanced,  and  better  understood  than 
they  were  in  his  time,  what  a  wonderful  advance  he  would 
make.  "  My  God  !"  said  the  copyist,  in  his  imperfect  Eng- 
lish, "  if  Raphael  is  alive  now,  he  shall  die  to  laugh  at  them 
that  will  teach  him  to  paint." 

The  idea  of  the  English  gentleman,  however,  is  not  with- 
out reason.  It  was  the  happy  genius  of  Raphael  to  improve 
upon  what  went  before  him,  and  his  great  characteristics  were 
taste  and  judgment  He  was  not  singular  in  drawing  well ; 
it  was  the  distinction  of  the  school  in  which  he  was  edu- 
cated ;  but  he  had  the  good  sense  to  design  his  groups  with 
few  figures,  which  were  carefully  studied,  according  to  the 


132 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


best  principles  then  known;  and  he  particularly  succeeded  in 
giving  them  grace,  propriety  of  action,  and  expression.  The 
invention,  composition,  drawing,  and  colouring  of  many  ar- 
tists of  the  present  day,  are  such  as  would  command  the  ap- 
plause of  Raphael  were  he  now  living;  and  if  his  genius 
could  enable  him  to  make  an  advance  beyond  them,  corres- 
ponding with  what  he  did  beyond  the  dry  performances  of  Per- 
rugino  and  Massacio,  great  as  his  reputation  is,  and  excellent 
as  the  works  are  upon  which  it  is  founded,  they  would  un- 
questionably have  been  greater  and  more  deserving  the  un- 
qualified praises  which  are  devoted  to  him. 

What  is  called  the  Gallery  of  Pictures,  is  found  by  still 
farther  ascending  immense  flights  of  steps  to  the  highest  story, 
where  there  is  a  range  of  six  rooms,  the  windows  of  which 
open  to  the  north.  These  are  large,  square,  plain,  brick- 
paved,  unornamented  rooms,  entirely  devoted  to  the  preser- 
vation, exhibition,  and  copying  of  twenty-nine  choice  and  ce- 
lebrated pictures,  which  are  placed  expressly  to  suit  the  con- 
venience of  artists. 

The  most  celebrated  of  these  are,  the  Transfiguration,  by 
Raphael;  the  Communion  of  St.  Jerome,  by  Domenichino; 
a  Pieta,  by  Michael  Angclo  Caravaggio;  St.  Romualdo's 
Vision,  by  Andrea  Sacchi;  the  Incredulity  of  St.  Thomas, 
by  Guercino ;  and  the  Madonna  di  Foligno,  by  Raphael. 

Most  of  these  pictures  are  of  large  size,  and  all  of  them 
are  worthy  the  especial  study  of  the  artist.  Permission  to 
copy  them  is  readily  obtained  by  application  to  the  pope's  se- 
cretary, when  the  places  are  not  occupied,  or  whenever  a  va- 
cancy may  occur:  but  the  applicants  for  the  Transfiguration 
are  so  numerous,  I  am  told,  that  it  is  engaged  for  several  years 
to  come,  by  artists  of  various  nations.  A  good  copy  of  this 
picture,  therefore,  cannot  be  easily  had,  even  at  a  high  price. 
The  Italian  artists  complain  that  while  it  was  in  Paris  it  was 
retouched  and  injured.  This  is  not  probable;  as,  under  the 
direction  of  Denon,  David,  and  other  great  artists,  the  opera- 
tion of  repairing  valuable  pictures  was  effected  in  the  most 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


133 


cautious  and  correct  manner,  as  laid  down  in  a  report  to  the 
National  Institute.  During  its  lamented  absence  from  Rome 
it  existed  in  the  improving  recollections  of  the  admirers  of 
Raphael  as  a  perfect  work.  Now,  that  it  is  restored  to  them, 
when  they  are  better  judges,  and  when  the  art  itself  has  made 
advances,  they  are  sensible  of  defects  which  it  always  had; 
for  it  was  left  unfinished  by  Raphael,  and  Julio  Romano  filled 
up  the  blanks  with  less  harmony  and  skill  than  would  have 
been  shown  by  his  master. 

The  other  picture  by  Raphael,  the  Madonna  di  Foligno, 
is  a  formal  and  unpleasant  composition,  made  to  the  fancy  of 
a  tasteless  customer;  so  that  the  extraordinary  refutation  it 
enjoys  must  be  understood  only  to  apply  to  the  natural  colour- 
ing and  high  finish  of  the  heads. 

These  rooms  are  always  open  for  the  inspection  of  the  cu- 
rious, who  derive  additional  pleasure  from  witnessing  the  ope- 
rations of  the  artists  at  work,  many  of  whom  are  of  the  high- 
est respectability,  notwithstanding  the  wish  of  Lady  Morgan, 
"  that  the  whole  tribe  of  copyists,  with  all  their  lumber,  were 
kicked  out!" 

After  having  seen  the  magnificent  mosaics  in  St.  Peter's, 
and  several  of  the  original  pictures  from  which  they  were 
executed,  I  was  desirous  of  knowing  the  manner  of  perform- 
ing this  extraordinary  imitation  of  painting.  The  Studio  of 
Mosaics  is  in  a  lower  apartment  of  the  Vatican,  into  which 
there  is  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  entrance.  Various  rooms 
are  occupied  by  mosaic  workers,  some  copying  small  pictures 
for  the  purpose  of  learning  and  practising  the  art;  and  others, 
who  are  more  experienced,  occupied  with  larger  works  for 
the  churches.  Beyond  these  is  a  great  hall,  the  walls  of 
which  are  covered  with  shelves,  containing,  in  store,  the  ma- 
terial for  the  mosaic  work,  which  consists  of  semi-vitreous 
porcelain  or  coarse  enamel,  melted  and  poured  into  cakes  half 
an  inch  thick  and  several  inches  in  diameter.  These  cakes 
are  of  every  colour  that  may  be  required,  all  arranged,  num- 
bered, registered,  and  weighed  out,  by  an  accountant,  to  the 


134 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


workmen  as  they  are  wanted,  to  be  afterwards  broken  into 
bits.  Some  of  the  cakes  consist  of  two  or  more  colours,  gra- 
dually blending  into  each  other.  This  great  magazine  of  mo- 
saic stones,  the  keeper  assured  me,  contains  sixteen  thousand 
assorted  tints.  In  one  of  the  rooms  you  are  shown  some  beau- 
tiful tables  and  mantel-pieces,  ornamented  with  flowers,  fruit, 
animals,  and  landscapes ;  and,  hanging  on  the  walls,  several 
small  pictures,  from  Guido  and  Caracci,  the  ordinary  size  of 
portraits,  so  finely  executed  as  to  resemble  rich  oil  paintings 
at  the  distance  of  a  few  feet. 

Before  I  had  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  the  operation  of 
mosaic  woYk,  1  had  imagined  that  the  great  pictures  must  be 
wrought  lying  flat  on  the  floor.  Not  so — they  are  placed 
nearly  erect,  with  the  one  to  be  copied,  so  that  the  effect 
may  be  compared  from  time  to  time.  Pictures  three  or  four 
feet  long  are  each  done  on  a  sheet  of  copper,  stiffened  with 
strong  iron  bars  within  a  rim  of  metal.  The  interior  irregu- 
lar surface  is  then  nearly  filled  up  with  a  level  mass  of  ce- 
ment; upon  which,  when  dry,  the  design  is  correctly  traced. 
Larger  pictures,  and  especially  such  as  are  intended  for  per- 
manent fixture  in  churches,  are  executed  each  on  one  great 
slab  of  stone,  from  eight  to  twelve  inches  thick,  which  is  ex- 
cavated to  the  depth  of  about  one  inch,  to  receive  the  ce- 
ment, leaving  a  raised  border  all  around. 

The  artist,  having  carefully  traced  the  contours  of  his  pic- 
ture on  the  smooth  surface  of  the  cement,  procures  from  the 
adjoining  magazine  an  assortment  of  tints  to  suit  the  part  he 
purposes  working  at;  and  is  furnished  with  a  little  table,  on 
which  is  fixed  a  chisel,  with  the  edge  upwards,  in  the  manner 
of  an  anvil,  on  which,  with  a  hammer,  he  breaks  the  semi- 
vitreous  composition  into  small  squares  or  other  shapes,  to 
suit  the  part  to  be  copied.  Along  side  of  this  is  another  ta- 
ble, furnished  with  a  horizontal  grindstone  on  a  vertical  shaft, 
made  to  revolve  rapidly  by  a  cord  which  passes  round  a  lar- 
ger wheel,  turned  by  a  pin  at  its  periphery.  This  is  moved 
with  the  left  hand,  while  the  right  is  employed  in  fashioning 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


135 


the  bits  of  stone  into  squares,  triangles,  circles,  crescents, 
&c.  of  various  dimensions.  The  artist  then  chisels  out  of 
his  composition,  within  the  lines  of  his  drawing,  any  spot  he 
chooses  to  fill  up  with  his  mosaic;  which,  being  inserted,  stone 
by  stone,  with  fresh  cement,  enables  him  either  to  pursue  the 
continuity  of  an  outline,  or  the  masses  and  directions  of  si- 
milar tints;  so  that  he  can  work  at  any  spot,  and  fill  up  the 
intervals,  or  take  out  any  portion  of  what  he  has  done,  and 
do  it  over  again.  The  stones  are  from  half  an  inch  to  three 
quarters  in  depth,  and  in  breadth,  of  all  sizes,  from  an  eighth 
to  half  an  inch  in  diameter. 

After  the  picture  is  finished,  and  the  surface  of  the  stones 
ground  down  to  a  level  and  perfectly  polished,  the  white  ce- 
ment is  carefully  scraped  out  of  the  interstices  to  a  little 
depth.  A  variety  of  painters'  colours,  in  fine  powder,  are 
then  each  mixed  with  a  small  portion  of  melted  wax,  and 
put  on  a  palette.  With  these,  by  means  of  a  hot  pointed 
iron,  like  a  tinman's  soldering-iron,  the  artist  melts  a  little  of 
the  coloured  wax  to  match  the  stones,  and  runs  it  from  the 
point  of  his  iron  into  all  the  crevices — then  scrapes  off  the 
superfluous  wax,  and  cleans  the  surface  with  spirits  of  tur- 
pentine. 

Nothing  can  be  more  appropriate  in  churches  which  are 
lined  with  precious  marbles,  than  these  kindred  pictures, 
which  rival  the  beauty  of  oil  paintings,  and  defy  the  injuries 
of  damp  and  smoke,  which  have  been  so  destructive  to  many 
fine  pictures.  Camucini  is  now  the  director  of  these  works, 
and  is  zealous  in  endeavouring,  by  means  of  this  curious  art, 
and  the  great  skill  of  those  artists  who  at  present  execute  it, 
to  preserve  the  best  paintings  of  the  great  masters,  which 
are  now  imperfectly  seen  in  several  churches,  and  are  in  dan- 
ger of  perishing. 

The  cakes  of  enamel  composition  are  prepared  at  a  che- 
mical laboratory,  not  only  for  the  government  mosaic  manu- 
factory, but  for  the  numerous  artists  who  execute  mosaics  of 
a  small  size,  which  are  bought  by  strangers  as  specimens  of 


136 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


an  art  almost  peculiar  to  Rome.  I  knew  one  artist  who  em- 
ployed thirteen  hands,  and  he  informed  me  that  not  less  than 
two  hundred  persons  were  constantly  employed  in  Rome.  The 
consequences  of  this  increasing  competition  are,  not  only 
that  these  works  are  produced  at  a  cheaper  rate  than  for- 
merly, but,  occasionally,  are  executed  in  greater  perfection. 
These  workers  of  miniature  mosaics  arc  furnished  with  the 
enamel  in  slender  sticks,  which  they  heat  in  the  flame  of  a 
lamp,  and  draw  out  as  fine  as  may  be  required;  and  some- 
times combine  rods  of  several  colours.  These  filaments  are 
broken  by  a  pair  of  pilars  into  lengths  of  an  eighth  or  quar- 
ter of  an  inch,  and  put  together  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
large  works. 

It  was  formerly  supposed  that  the  ancient  mosaics  were 
always  executed  with  real  stones.  This  was  certainly  the 
case  with  some  of  their  beautiful  pavements,  many  of  which 
are  preserved  in  the  chambers  of  the  Vatican;  but  in  their 
mosaic  pictures  on  walls  you  can  find  nothing  but  a  semi-vi- 
treous composition  exactly  like  iliat  which  is  now  used;  only 
comprising  a  more  limited  extent  of  colours,  and  displaying 
less  perfection  in  the  workmanship. 

A  great  portion  of  the  palace  of  the  Vatican,  which  is 
said  to  be  seventy  thousand  feet  in  circumference,  and  to 
contain  a  thousand  rooms,  is  devoted  to  the  preservation  and 
display  of  every  thing  interesting  which  has  been  found  in 
the  ruins  of  ancient  buildings  in  and  around  Rome;  besides  a 
similar  but  less  extensive  collection  which  forms  the  Museum 
of  the  Capitol. 

The  entrance  to  these  vast  repositories  of  art  is  from  the 
Loggia  di  Raffaelle,  opening  into  a  long  gallery  lined  with 
monumental  and  other  inscriptions,  altars,  architectural 
fragments,  &c.  At  the  end  of  this,  twice  a  week,  the  iron 
grating  is  opened  to  visiters,  who  are  permitted  to  range 
through  a  wonderful  succession  of  princely  galleries,  halls, 
and  rotundas,  constructed  by  celebrated  architects  with  a 
splendour  that  rivals  imperial  Rome,  and  enriched  with  mar- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


137 


ble  columns  of  every  colour,  fresco  paintings  by  celebrated 
masters,  and  mosaic  pavements  taken  from  the  ancient  edi- 
fices. The  whole  series  filled  with  a  collection  of  statues, 
vases,  baths,  altars,  tombs,  tables,  &c,  numerous  and  inte- 
resting, beyond  the  conception  of  any  one  who  has  not  wit- 
nessed the  astonishing  display. 

Here  are  to  be  seen  the  beautiful  statues  of  the  Jlpollo  Bel- 
vedere, the  Meleager  and  the  Mercury,  and,  above  all,  the 
unrivalled  Laocoon,  statues  which,  with  many  others,  the 
monopolizing  spirit  of  Napoleon  transported  across  the  Alps 
to  Paris,  and  which,  at  a  great  expense,  have  been  restored 
to  Rome;  that  of  the  Apollo  to  the  same  spot  where  it  was 
placed  by  Michael  Angelo. 

In  short,  the  student  and  the  amateur  of  the  arts,  in  the 
investigation  of  form  and  all  that  relates  to  costume  and  cha- 
racter, may  find  inexhaustible  resources  for  the  purposes  of 
study,  in  these  precious  relics  of  the  taste  and  genius  of  the 
ancients,  the  boast  of  Rome  and  the  glory  of  the  Vatican. 

"  Its  ceilings  richly  painted  in  fresco,  its  pictured  pavements 
of  ancient  mosaics,  its  magnificent  gates  of  bronze,  its  po- 
lished columns  of  ancient  porphyry,  splendid  spoils  of  impe- 
rial Rome — its  accumulation  of  Grecian  marbles,  Egyptian 
granites,  and  oriental  alabasters,  the  very  names  of  which 
are  unknown  in  transalpine  lands ;  its  bewildering  extent 
and  prodigality  of  magnificence ;  but,  above  all,  its  amazing 
treasures  of  sculpture,  have  so  confused  my  senses,  that  I 
can  scarcely  believe  in  its  reality,  and  am  almost  tempted 
to  ask  myself  if  it  is  not  all  a  dream.1'* 

It  is  indeed  a  delicious  dream,  but  a  dream  that  must  be 
repeated  by  the  artist  until  its  impressions  are  confirmed  into 
records  of  truth  and  usefulness. 

My  only  visit  to  the  Vatican  library  happened  to  be  when 
the  librarian  was  absent;  so  that  I  was  conducted  by  men 

*  Rome  in  the  nineteenth  century. 


18 


138 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


who  merely  showed  the  rooms,  explained  the  various  paint- 
ings, and  opened  a  few  cases  of  curiosities  and  antiquities. 
Except  in  a  small  department  fitted  up  in  the  modern  style, 
the  books,  entirely  out  of  sight,  were  enclosed  in  low  cases, 
being  ornamented  on  their  tops  with  Etruscan  vases.  A 
suite  of  chambers  crosses  the  end  of  the  great  hall,  opening 
into  each  other  through  elegant  columns  of  alabaster  and  por- 
phyry, to  the  extent  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  All  the  rooms 
are  profusely  decorated  with  fresco  paintings,  commemora- 
ting interesting  circumstances  concerning  the  arts  and  litera- 
ture, as  they  have  been  advanced  by  successive  popes,  and 
distinguished  men. 

Among  the  private  palaces,  whose  collections  of  pictures 
constitute  one  of  the  greatest  attractions  of  Rome,  that  of 
the  Prince  Borghesc  is  the  most  frequented,  as  it  is  the  most 
regularly  open.  The  owner  of  this  splendid  palace,  as  well 
as  the  extensive  pleasure  grounds  and  villa  behind  the  Pincian 
hill,  has  long  resided  at  Florence,  and  seldom  visits  Rome; 
yet  these  places  are  kept  in  repair  and  open  for  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  public.  The  Borghese  gallery  of  pictures,  so 
long  celebrated,  occupies  eleven  rooms  on  the  ground  floor, 
which  are  entered  within  a  quadrangular  court  beneath  ar- 
cades of  ninety-six  columns.  The  pictures  entirely  cover 
the  walls,  and  consist  of  specimens  of  a  great  variety  of 
masters,  many  of  which  are  of  great  celebrity,  particularly 
the  Diana  and  her  Nymphs,  and  the  Cumxan  Sybil,  by 
Domenichino;  the  Graces  by  Titian;  and  the  Da?iae,  by 
Corregio.  The  whole  of  these  rooms  are  open  for  the  use  of 
artists,  on  a  written  application,  which  is  seldom  refused;  so 
that  every  day,  except  Sundays  and  holidays,  a  number  of  ar- 
tists may  be  seen  copying  pictures,  or  parts  of  pictures,  which 
are  under  the  care  of  persons  who  always  attend  in  the  rooms 
for  this  purpose,  and  to  show  the  collection  to  strangers.  The 
fees  which  are  given  to  these  custodi  by  visiters  and  artists, 
afford  them  a  comfortable  income.  These  rooms  are  fitted 
up  in  a  style  of  the  utmost  magnificence,  being  furnished, 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


139 


besides  the  paintings,  with  a  profusion  of  the  most  costly  and 
splendid  tables  of  precious  stones,  supported  on  carved  and 
gilt  figures  and  ornaments;  chairs  and  sophas  of  satin,  velvet 
and  gold;  the  vaulted  ceilings  painted  by  various  masters,  and 
decorated  with  every  species  of  device  that  has  been  imagined 
for  such  purposes,  in  fresco,  stucco  and  gilding.  Here  the  ar- 
tist may  place  his  easel  before  the  picture  he  has  selected,  and 
take  what  pains  he  can  in  making  his  copy;  surrounded  by 
other  inspiring  works,  on  which  he  may  recreate  himself,  as 
he  rests  from  his  labour,  or  go  round  and  observe  the  progress 
of  other  artists.  The  doors  are  opened  at  nine  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  closed  at  four  or  five  in  the  afternoon.  Places  are 
appropriated  for  putting  away  his  easel,  and  for  drying  his 
pictures. 

Mr.  Ervine,  a  Scotch  artist,  who  has  resided  forty  years  at 
Rome,  informed  me  that  twenty-one  statues  and  bassi  relievi 
still  remain  in  France,  besides  some  paintings,  that  ought  to 
have  been  restored  to  Italy.  The  Borghese  collection  of 
marbles  was  bought  by  Napoleon,  and  the  Prince  Borghese 
was  paid  for  them  in  lands  in  Piedmont,  of  which  he  was 
made  governor.  On  the  restoration  of  the  Bourbons,  the 
lands  were  taken  from  him,  and  he  demanded  back  his  sta- 
tues, which  were  arranged  in  magnificent  halls,  fitted  up  ex- 
pressly for  them  in  the  Louvre.  The  government,  however, 
made  an  arrangement  to  retain  them,  and  pay  him  eight  hun- 
dred thousand  francs.  About  forty-five  pictures  out  of  the 
Borghese  palace  were  sold,  during  the  French  government, 
for  the  payment  of  exactions;  and  most  of  the  best  paintings 
in  the  galleries  of  Rome  were  likewise  sold  on  the  same  ac- 
count, and  lost  to  Italy;  leaving  in  the  hearts  of  the  reduced 
nobility  a  bitter  animosity  against  the  conqueror. 

The  Doria  palace,  of  vast  extent  and  great  magnificence, 
is  one  of  the  most  striking  ornaments  of  the  principal  street, 
from  which  two  great  archways  open  into  its  spacious  court. 
Its  numerous  halls,  corridors,  and  galleries  are  crowded  with 
paintings  by  artists  of  the  greatest  celebrity.    The  first  room 


140 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


is  filled  with  large  water  colour  paintings  by  Gaspar  Pous- 
sin,  composed  in  his  grand  style,  but  executed  in  a  light  and 
airy  manner  that  I  did  not  expect ;  they  are  probably  faded. 
The  adjoining  room  is  chiefly  filled  with  large  oil  paintings, 
by  the  same  master,  so  black  and  confused  as  to  appear  quite 
disadvantageously;  these  have  probably  grown  darker.  Some- 
thing between  the  two  may  have  been  the  taste  of  the  living 
Poussin.  Some  of  the  rooms  contain  very  fine  pictures,  but 
in  such  a  wretched  state  of  neglect  and  decay,  dull,  dirty, 
and  in  want  of  varnish,  that  they  can  with  difficulty  be  seen. 
Among  them  are  several  fine  landscapes,  by  Claude.  The 
rooms  are  in  general  very  dark,  and  so  cold,  as  to  make  one 
impatient  of  lingering  in  them. 

After  many  attempts  to  see  the  Sciarra  palace,  1  at  length 
gained  access,  when  the  rooms  were  not  occupied  by  the  fa- 
mily, and  found  it  to  be  as  represented,  a  small  but  choice 
collection  of  paintings;  I  particularly  admired  a  fine  Magda- 
len, by  Guido,  a  splendid  Portrait  of  a  Lady,  by  Titian, 
and  an  excellent  copy  of  Raphael's  Transfiguration,  by 
Valentin. 

The  approach  to  the  Barberini  palace  through  a  ruinous 
brick  archway  into  an  unpaved  court-yard,  the  broken  grounds 
around  it,  the  neglected  garden,  once  ornamented  with  fine 
statues,  now  dirty,  moss-covered,  broken  and  fallen  down, 
and  the  moss-dripping  fountains,  all  impress  you  with  an 
idea  of  the  reduced  fortunes  of  its  proprietors.  A  spacious 
hall  serves  as  an  entrance  to  the  apartments  inhabited  by 
the  family,  to  which  you  rise  as  usual  by  an  ample  and  mas- 
sive stair-way.  The  ceiling  of  this  hall,  for  its  neatness,  rich- 
ness of  colouring,  and  variety  of  invention,  is  considered  the 
greatest  work  of  the  kind  ever  executed  by  Pietro  da  Cor- 
tona,  being  an  allegorical  homage  to  the  glory  of  the  Bar- 
berini family.  Some  wretched  old  paintings  do  not  hide  the 
nakedness  of  the  lofty  walls.  The  first  room  contains  a 
number  of  old  and  curious  pieces  of  sculpture,  the  best  of 
which  is  a  Satyr,  lying  on  his  back,  said  to  be  the  work  of 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


141 


Michael  Angelo — its  breast  is  polished  by  the  touch  of  the 
numerous  visiters  who  pass  the  rounds  of  the  palaces  of 
Rome.  In  the  other  rooms  are  many  pictures,  large  and 
small,  that  only  provoked  my  impatience  to  pass  them,  with- 
out hearing  their  names  from  our  communicative  attendant. 
But  in  some  deserted  rooms  in  a  lower  story,  we  were  shown 
several  pictures  much  more  deserving  of  attention.  1  was 
charmed  with  the  little  boy's  head  and  arm  in  a  Holy  Fami- 
ly, by  Andrea  del  Sarto;  a  beautiful  head  by  Guido  Reni,  of 
the  wretched  Beatrice  Cenci;  a  fine  St.  Peter,  by  Raphael 
Mengs,  with  a  strong  and  rich  effect;  and  some  others, 
which  were  interesting,  as  the  careful  works  of  the  early 
masters. 

To  see  Guido's  celebrated  */2arora>  it  was  necessary  in 
this  neighbourhood  to  find  the  Palace  Rospigliosi.  Some 
loud  knocking  at  a  gate  brought  out  an  old  woman  who 
gave  us  entrance,  by  moss  stained  steps,  ornamented  with 
headless  busts,  to  a  handsome  garden,  which  we  crossed  to 
reach  the  Casina,  a  beautiful  little  building,  the  ceiling  of 
which  contained  our  picture.  Morghen's  excellent  engraving 
gives  almost  a  perfect  idea  of  it;  for  though  the  colour  of 
many  parts  is  good,  yet  the  effect  of  the  whole,  from  inju- 
dicious repairs,  is  harsh  and  dissonant.  The  limbs  are  hea- 
vy, and  the  hands  lifeless — but  the  left  hand  figure  possesses 
a  beauty  of  face  that  is  not  rendered  in  the  engraving.  A 
young  man,  with  his  easel  on  the  pavement,  was  straining 
his  neck  to  finish  a  small  copy  of  it  Two  adjoining  rooms 
are  filled  with  pictures;  but,  notwithstanding  the  names  of 
Guido,  Domenichino,  Rubens  and  Caracci,  which  are  rapidly 
mumbled  by  a  toothless  old  woman,  who  is  anxious  to  get 
your  money,  and  send  you  away;  I  found  little  to  admire  or 
detain  me.  Repeated  visits  failed  to  procure  us  a  sight  of 
the  pictures  in  the  principal  building  belonging  to  Prince 
Rospigliosi. 

The  Corsini  palace,  at  another  extremity  of  Rome,  by- 
its  extent,  architecture,  courts,  stair-cases,  galleries,  and 


142 


NOTES  OX  ITALY. 


gardens,  presents  a  princely  show  of  grandeur  and  elegance. 
The  collection  of  pictures  is  very  great,  but  not  many  of 
them  pleased  me  much.  One  of  the  most  celebrated  is  an 
Ecce  homo,  by  Guercino,  an  oil  painting,  but  preserved 
from  the  touch  by  a  glass  covering.  It  is  exquisitely 
finished,  and  natural  in  the  colouring,  representing  a  Head 
of  Christ  crowned  with  Thorns.  The  eyes  are  blood-shot 
with  pain  and  grief,  and  large  drops  of  blood  are  pouring 
down  the  forehead.  I  cannot  but  consider  it  a  most  igno- 
ble, disgusting,  and  unfortunate  exhibition  of  the  Sayiour; 
and  almost  lament  its  excellence  as  a  piece  of  painting. 

From  this,  directly  across  the  street,  we  regularly  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Farncsina,  built  as  a  country  house  by  a  rich 
banker  in  the  time  of  Leo  X.  It  is  now  the  property  of 
the  king  of  Naples,  and  appears  to  be  preserved  only  be- 
cause it  contains  soine  fresco  paintings  by  Raphael.  An 
impatient  custode  unlocked  a  door  which  opened  directly 
into  a  hall,  divested  of  all  furniture.  The  compartments 
of  the  ceiling  contain  a  series  of  compositions  representing 
the  history  of  Cupid  and  Psyche,  designed  by  Raphael, 
but  executed  by  his  scholars,  except  one  of  the  Graces, 
whose  back  is  presented  with  a  richness  of  colour  sur- 
passing any  thing  I  have  ever  seen  from  his  pencil.  This 
figure  is  said  to  be  entirely  his  own  work.  On  the  wall  of 
the  adjoining  room  is  the  faded  and  much  damaged  Gala- 
tea, which  is  venerated  as  being  entirely  the  work  of  Ra- 
phael's own  hand;  but  it  possessed  so  little  charm  to.  me, 
that  I  hastened  to  take  another  gaze  at  the  glowing  back  of 
the  beautiful  Grace;  not,  however,  without  stopping  to  look 
at  a  Head,  sketched  with  charcoal  by  Michael  Angelo  on 
the  rough  plaster,  whilst  he  was  waiting  for  one  of  Ra- 
phael's scholars  to  show  him  the  paintings  in  the  next  hall. 
The  compartment  of.  the  frieze  containing  this  sketch  was 
left  unfinished  rather  than  obliterate  the  manuscript  of  the 
sublime  Angelo. 

The  Farnese  palace  stands  in  front  of  an  ample  piazza, 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


143 


or  place  decorated  with  fountains.  Externally  it  is  a  heavy 
ugly  building;  but  within,  its  square  court,  its  arches,  co- 
lumns, pilasters,  and  sculpture  have  an  imposing  grandeur, 
though  it  cannot  be  seen  without  a  regret  that  the  materials 
of  which  it  is  composed  were  torn  from  the  devoted  Colos- 
seum. The  building  now  belongs  to  the  king  of  Naples, 
and  is  the  residence  of  his  ambassadors.  I  found  the  cor- 
ridor crowded  with  wretched  tatterdemalions.  They  were 
Neapolitans  seeking  permission  to  return  home;  each  being 
worthy  of  a  passport.  Some  of  the  superfluous  chambers 
are  occupied  by  antiquities  found  in  the  Farnese  gardens 
and  the  palace  of  the  Caesars,  and  as  painting  rooms  for  a 
Neapolitan  artist.  The  servants  politely  open  some  of  the 
rich  apartments;  but  the  chief  attraction  is  the  magnificent 
saloon,  the  walls  and  ceiling  of  which  were  painted  by  Lu- 
dovico  Caracci  and  his  brother  Agostino,  Domenichino, 
and  Guido.  These  mythological  compositions  are  well 
known  by  a  volume  of  engravings  called  the  Farnese  Gal- 
lery; but  they  convey  no  idea  of  the  beauty  of  the  draw- 
ing, the  careful  finish,  and  the  airiness  and  freshness  of  the 
colouring.  Hitherto  I  have  not  seen  any  thing  by  Caracci 
that  at  all  equals  them:  but  the  figures  by  Domenichino 
and  Guido  fajl  short  of  some  of  their  separate  works".  The 
quantity  of  excellent  art  lavished  on  this  ceiling  is  truly 
astonishing.  . 

The  Palace  of  Cardinal  Fes ch  is  the  only  one  I  have  seen 
which  seems  to  possess  any  thing  like  comfort  in  the  rooms; 
yet  they  contain  a  great  collection  of  paintings,' which  I  found 
in  better  condition  than  those  of  any  other  palace  in  Rome. 
The  guide  books,  which  minutely  describe  the  contents  of 
other  galleries,  only  mention  this  in  one  short  paragraph,  by 
saying  that  this  great  collection  of  pictures,  both  for  the  quan- 
tity and  the  quality  of  the  works  of  the  best  masters  of  eve- 
ry school,  and  especially  of  the  Flemish,  is  one  of  the  richest 
and  most  esteemed  galleries  of  Rome,  and  would  require  a 
volume  to  describe  it.  Besides  other  works  of  my  namesake, 


144 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


Rembrandt,  I  was  struck  with  the  singular  beauty  and  fresh- 
ness of  the  Head  of  an  Old  Wom  an,  said  to  be  his  mother, 
painted  in  a  much  lighter  manner  than  was  customary  with 
that  artist.  For  this  head,  on  a  canvass  not  more  than  six- 
teen inches  long,  we  were  told  the  cardinal  paid  thirty-six 
thousand  francs.  Besides  the  pictures  which  are  hung  up, 
vast  quantities  are  stowed  away  in  other  rooms  and  passages. 

The  Colonna  palace  contains  a  number  of  pictures,  every 
one  of  which  having  a  name,  you  must  hear  it  pronounced 
by  the  custode,  or  servant,  who  accompanies  you  through  the 
rooms,  though  but  few  are  deserving  of  any  particular  atten- 
tion. I  was  most  pleased  with  a  cabinet  or  book-case,  orna- 
mented with  twenty-eight  beautiful  little  ivory  pieces,  in  alto 
relievo,  from  the  compositions  of  Raphael,  in  the  Loggia  at 
the  Vatican,  executed  by  F.  and  D.  Steinhart,  two  brothers, 
Germans,  who  resided  thirty  years  in  this  palace,  under  the 
patronage  of  the  Colonna  family.  During  that  time  they  ex- 
ecuted this  extraordinary  work,  whose  beauty  delighted  me 
more  than  the  paintings  from  which  they  were  conceived,  and 
to  whose  excellence  they  bear  the  most  noble  homage.  The 
centre-piece,  somewhat  larger  than  the  rest,  represents  Mi- 
chael Angelo's  Last  Judgment,  in  the  Sistine  Chapel.  These 
exquisite  little  works,  executed  two  hundred  ye^rs  ago,  when 
the  frescos  of  Raphael  and  of  Buonorotti  were  uninjured,  are 
as  perfect  as  when  they  were  first  done.  It  is  a  cabinet  that 
should  be  preserved  in  the  Vatican  library.  The  great  hall 
of  this  palace,  two  hundred  and  nine  feet  long,  decorated  at 
each  end  with  splendid  columns  and  twenty  antique  statues, 
and  enriched  with  paintings,  stucco,  and  rare  marbles,  is  the 
most  magnificent  in  Rome. 

We  were  a  long  while  ranging  the  vast  court  and  long  ar- 
cades of  the  Quirinial  Palace,  in  a  fatiguing  search  for  the 
custode;  yet  not  without  something  to  admire  in  a  fine  mo- 
saic copy  of  a  Madonna  by  Carlo  Maratti,  to  ornament  a 
clock  at  one  end  of  the  court,  which  is  three  hundred  feet 
long.    The  soldiers  at  the  gate  knew  nothing,  only  that  they 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


145 


themselves  were  guards.  At  length  the  keeper  arrived,  with 
whom  we  ascended  the  plain  stone  stairs  to  the  principal  sto- 
ry, and  were  conducted  through  a  magnificent  series  of  rooms, 
fitted  up  in  the  modern  taste  for  the  accommodation  of  royal 
visiters — the  walls  covered  with  silk,  the  furniture  richly 
carved  and  gilt,  and  the  door-cases  of  polished  porphyry  and 
fine  marbles.  Two  rooms  were  ornamented  with  elegant 
friezes,  the  Triumph  of  Alexander,  by  Thorwaldsen,  and 
the  Triumph  of  Trajan,  by  Pinclli,  ceilings  splendidly  de- 
corated, guard-room,  saloons,  bed-rooms  in  the  gayest  style 
of  Paris,  library,  billiard-room,  halls  for  the  ladies  of  ho- 
nour— all  this  adjoining  the  plain  apartments  of  the  pope,  in 
which  the  custode  told  me  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen. 
Some  of  these  rooms  are  decorated  with  good  paintings — a 
fine  large  battle-piece  by  Bassano,  the  original  Study  of  the 
Transfiguration  by  Raphael,  a  beautiful  Marriage  of  St. 
Catherine  by  Battone,  extremely  rich  and  bright.  In  a  pic- 
ture of  the  Holy  Family,  by  Baroccio,  I  was  especially  de- 
lighted with  the  head  of  a  Child  holding  up  some  Cherries 
— the  most  beautiful  thing  I  have  yet  seen  by  that  artist — rich, 
bright,  and  delicate,  and  of  surpassing  animation  of  counte- 
nance. In  a  great  hall  of  entrance  to  the  pope's  apartments, 
and  to  the  chapel,  there  is  a  large  semicircular  alto  relievo  rest- 
ing over  two  doors,  which  the  custode  assured  me  was  done  by 
Michael  Angelo,  but  my  guide-book  informs  me  it  is  the  work 
of  Landini,  representing  Christ  wash  ing  the  feet  of  his  Dis- 
ciples. It  is  well  grouped,  and  perhaps  not  unworthy  of  An- 
gelo. The  chapel  is  very  small,  but  entirely  painted  by  Gui- 
do.  I  could,  however,  recognise  this  lovely  artist  only  in  the 
graceful  turn  and  character  of  some  of  the  heads  and  the 
easy  flow  of  the  drapery.    They  are  much  faded  and  injured. 

Torlonia,  the  banker's  palace,  is  among  the  most  elegant 
of  Rome.  One  portion  of  the  apartments  consists  of  a  num- 
ber of  halls  which  cross  and  combine  in  an  unusual  style; 
rich  in  columns,  marbles,  mosaics,  statues,  and  paintings.  In 
one  there  is  a  colossal  work  in  marble  byCanova,  Hercules 

19 


146 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


throwing  Licas  into  the  sea ;  and,  among  the  pictures,  there 
is  a  beautiful  Cleopatra  by  Guido,  and  many  excellent  pieces 
of  the  Flemish  school.  The  ceiling  of  one  room  is  decorated 
■with  a  painting  by  Camucini. 

The  churches  of  Rome  are  so  numerous,  that,  in  Vasi's 
guide-book,  out  of  three  hundred  and  sixty,  one  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  are  selected  as  worthy  of  notice.;  yet,  from  the 
similarity  of  their  structure,  the  repetition  of  splendid  objects 
of  ornament,  and  the  sameness  of  materials,  the  eye  soon  be- 
comes sated  with  the  gorgeous  entertainment,  and  finds  a  per- 
manent pleasure  only  in  such  as  are  distinguished  by  the  pos- 
session of  the  finest  works  of  the  painter's  and  the  sculptor's 
art:  travellers,  therefore,  generally  agree  in  saying,  that  it  is 
necessary  to  visit  only  about  thirty  of  the  whole  number. 
Although  in  their  external  structure  they  are  said  to  possess 
but  little  beauty,  and  in  general  are  absolutely  ugly,  yet  they 
are  finished  edifices,  and  a  few  have  some  claims  to  grandeur. 
This  is  the  case  with  the  front  of  St.  Carlo,  on  the  Corso, 
whose  high  pediment  and  towering  columns,  though  not  iso- 
lated, continued  always  to  please  me.  But  many  of  these 
interiors  are  truly  magnificent,  with  marble  columns,  pilas- 
ters, walls,  and  pavements;  ceiling,  angles,  and  walls  covered 
with  paintings;  arches  enriched  with  gilt  stucco,  and  a  pro- 
fusion of  statues,  cherubs,  and  angels  in  every  spot  where  in- 
genuity could  devise  a  resting  place  or  occupation  for  them. 
All  the  arts,  indeed,  have  been  enlisted,  cherished,  and  re- 
warded, but  required  to  contribute  their  influence  in  support 
of  the  established  religion — and  especially  painting. 

The  great  altar-piece  of  St.  Carlo  is  an  extensive  and  beau- 
tiful painting  by  Carlo  Ma ratti,  the  Virgin  in  the  Heavens  in- 
troducing St.  Carlo  to  Christ.  In  this  strange  subject,  and  dif- 
ficult task,  Maratti  has  contrived  to  introduce  the  most  beau- 
tiful groups  and  masses  of  clouds,  draperies,  and  figures;  but 
it  is  in  so  bad  a  light  that  the  whole  effect  of  it  cannot  be 
seen  at  once,  and  you  are  obliged  by  change  of  place  to  study 
it  in  detail. 


/ 


NOTES  ON  ITALY.  147 

The  great  temple  of  the  Jesuits,  built  with  ample  means 
in  the  time  of  their  greatest  power,  possesses  extraordinary 
grandeur,  both  externally  and  internally.  On  entering  the 
church  of  St.  Ignatius,  I  found  the  whole  pavement  was  co- 
vered with  little  boys,  between  ten  and  twelve  years  of  age, 
on  their  knees,  attending  mass  which  was  saying  at  the  grand 
altar,  each  boy  having  his  hat  and  school  books  on  the  pave- 
ment before  him.  Although  there  were  many  hundreds  of 
these  little  urchins,  there  was  no  noise  nor  appearance  of  in- 
attention till  the  close,  when  they  rose  in  military  order  and, 
double  file,  marched  out  to  their  respective  schools,  conduct- 
ed by  their  clerical  teachers,  who  are  doubtless  all  good  Je- 
suits, and  capable  of  giving  the  young  twigs  the  requisite  in- 
clination. The  spacious  ceiling  is  painted  to  represent  the 
architectural  continuation  of  the  edifice,  arch  over  arch,  co- 
lumn beyond  column,  till  they  are  lost  in  the  distant  heavens, 
into  which  St.  Ignatius  is  ascending,  accompanied  by  groups 
of  other  saints  and  angels,  and  a  great  variety  of  figures  fill- 
ing the  immense  expanse.  The  two  side  altars  of  the  cross 
are  decorated  with  magnificent  columns  of  verd  antique,  and 
one  of  the  altar-pieces  is  a  great  composition  by  Le  Gro#, 
sculptured  in  marble  in  high  relief,  and  of  great  beauty,  re- 
presenting St.  Luigi  Gonzaga  on  a  cloud,  ascending  to  hea- 
ven. The  strong  relief  of  this  figure,  the  graceful  attitude, 
and  heavenly  character  of  the  head  and  hands,  gave  me  more 
pleasure  than  I  ever  received  from  this  species  of  art,  and 
made  it  difficult  to  avert  my  eyes,  even  as  I  retired  from  a 
long  admiration  of  it. 

In  my  early  rambles  through  Rome,  without  book  or 
guide,  among  many  churches  which  I  entered  at  hazard, 
there  was  one  whose  delightful  fresco  paintings  drew  me 
into  repeated  visits.  Afterwards  when,  at  the  recommen- 
dation of  several  artists,  I  eagerly  inquired  for  the  church 
of  St.  Andrea  della  Valle,  I  was  surprised  to  find  it  an  old 
acquaintance  and  Domenichino  the  unknown  cause  of  my 
admiration.    His  splendid  fresco  paintings  occupy  the  an- 


148 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


gles  between  the  arches  that  support  the  dome.  The  most 
esteemed  is  the  one  that  represents  the  inspired  St.  John 
about  to  write  in  a  book  held  by  an  angel.  The  attitude, 
drapery,  and  countenance  are  sublime,  and  the  colouring 
fresh  and  beautiful,  and  worthy  the  rival  of  Guido. 

In  this  neighbourhood  is  to  be  found  the  large  and  ele- 
gant church  of  St.  Carlo  ai  Catinari,  which  contains  some 
fine  works  by  Sacchi,  Lanfranco,  and  Brandi.  The  angles 
of  the  cupola,  representing  the  four  cardinal  virtues,  are  by 
Domenichino,  but  they  are  inferior  to  those  of  St.  Andrea 
della  Valle. 

I  had  made  several  unsuccessful  attempts  to  see  the  rival 
works  of  Guido  and  Domenichino  at  the  distant  Church  of 
St.  Gregory.  At  last  I  found  the  door  open,  and  followed 
some  workmen  who  were  employed  within;  they  knew,  no- 
thing either  of  pictures  or  painters,  but  found  for  me  a 
young  ecclesiastic  who  conducted  me  through  a  garden  into 
three  adjoining  chapels;  in  one  of  which  is  a  noble  statue  of 
Pope  Gregory,  begun  by  Michael  Angelo,  and  finished  by 
one  of  his  scholars,  and  a  large  marble  table,  at  which  St. 
Gregory  used  every  day  to  entertain  twelve  pilgrims.  In 
the  second  chapel  is  a  statue  of  St.  Silvia,  the  mother  of 
Pope  St.  Gregory,  by  a  scholar  of  Angelo's;  and,  in  the 
third,  the  two  large  frescos,  on  opposite  side  walls,  which 
are  said  to  have  been  painted  in  friendly  competition — for, 
though  rivals  for  public  fame,  they  were  not  enemies.  But 
in  neither  of  these  pictures  could  I  find  much  of  the  merit 
which  distinguished  these  great  masters.  That  of  Dome- 
nichino is  very  much  injured  and  faded,  and  appears  hastily 
executed;  though  certainly  the  countenances  of  the  various 
persons  who  witness  or  engage  in  the  flagellation  of  St.  An- 
drew are  distinguished  by  his  usual  force  of  expression, 
which,  probably,  was  the  highest  praise  of  Domenichino. 
In  the  painting  by  Guido,  he  appears  to  have  laboured  to 
introduce  as  many  figures  as  he  possibly  could,  to  show  his 
command  of  action  and  grace;  but  his  countenances  are  un- 


* 


NOTES  ON  ITALY.  149 

animated  and  devoid  of  interest,  and  only  a  few  subordi- 
nate parts  can  at  all  remind  us  of  Guido. 

The  baths  of  Diocletian  were  of  such  extent  that  three 
thousand  two  hundred  persons  could  be  accommodated  at 
once.  It  is  curious  to  see  the  immense  halls  and  arches 
which  remain  of  them,  converted  into  churches,  granaries, 
and  dwellings.  The  Chartreuse  Monastery  occupies  its 
centre,  in  connexion  with  the  Church  of  St.  Maria  degli 
Jingeli.  As  it  was  not  an  hour  for  the  church  to  be  open, 
we  sought  admittance  at  the  gate  of  the  monastery,  and 
were  conducted  through  the  silent  cloisters;  the  confrater- 
nity being  reduced  to  eight  members.  We  passed  through 
many  rooms  and  passages,  contrived  for  the  convenience  of 
the  monks,  and  entered  the  church  through  a  little  back 
door.  The  walls  are  the  same  which  formed  the  great  hall 
of  the  baths,  within  which  there,  remain  eight  columns  of 
granite  forty-two  feet  high.-  Among  the  pictures,  which 
formerly  belonged  to  St.  Peter's,  but  were  placed  here  after 
some  of  them  had  been  copied  in  mosaic,  I  was  most  pleased 
with  the  extraordinary  spirit  and  animation  of  that  which 
represents  the  Fall  of  Simon  Magus,  painted  by  Battoni. 
Having  entered  the  church  at  the  back,  we  finished  our  sur- 
vey by  advancing  to  the  elegant  circular  room  which  serves 
as  an  entrance,  containing  two  rich  little  chapels,  or  altars, 
and  four  monuments— two  to  the  memory  of  cardinals, 
whose  names  are  learned  and  forgotten,  and  the  other  two 
to  the  honour  of  the  artists  Carlo  Maratti  and  Salvator 
Rosa — names  which  are  never  forgotten. 

The  solitude  and  silence  reigning  in  many  places,  even 
in  the  midst  of  great  masses  of  buildings,  is  a  characteris- 
tic of  Rome  which  frequently  surprises.,  and  sometimes  em- 
barrasses the  stranger.  It  was  not  difficult  to  find  the  street 
which  leads  to  the  church  of  St.  Pietro  in  Vincoli,  on  a 
little  mount.  Arrived  on  the  summit,  you  find  yourself  in 
an  open  space  surrounded  by  garden  walls,  great  houses 
which  seem  uninhabited,  and  something  like  two  churches 


150 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


— the  entrance  to  one  of  them  barred  with  iron  railings. 
The  few  poor  people  that  passed  that  way,  though  they 
knew  of  St.  Peter,  could  tell  me  nothing  of  the  church  in 
Vincoli.  My  knuckles  became  sore  with  knocking  at  doors 
and  gates  to  no  effect,  and  it  was  not  till  a  third  visit  to  the 
spot  that  I  succeeded  in  finding  a  door  opened  to  me  by  a 
clerical  guide. 

The  church  of  St.  Pietro  in  Vincoli,  erected  fourteen  hun- 
dred years  ago,  to  preserve  the  chain  which  St.  Peter  wore  in 
prison,  though  to  some  it  may  be  interesting  from  its  antiquity, 
as  it  appears  in  its  pavements  and  columns  taken  from  the 
baths  of  Diocletian  and  some  gothic  mosaics,  as  well  as  from 
the  simple  style  of  its  architecture,  possessed  only  one  object 
of  interest  to  me- — the  sublime  statue  of  Moses,  the  last  work 
of  Michael  Angelo  !  It  is  of  colossal  size,  seated,  in  an  action 
of  great  dignity,  becoming  the  rank  and  influence  of  the  He- 
brew commander  and  lawgiver.;  and,  being  but  slightly  ele- 
vated above  the  floor,  is  seen  to  the  greatest  advantage.  The 
countenance  has  a  most  impressive  expression,  the  naked 
arms  and  hands  wrought  to  an  effect  of  living  flesh  and  circu- 
lating blood,  beyond  any  thing  I  have  yet  seen ;  the  drapery 
arranged  in  folds  the  most  simple,  grand  and  natural,  and  ex- 
ecuted, even  into  the  deepest  cavities,  with  the  most  extra- 
ordinary skill. 

In  the  Church  of  the,  Capuchins  is  the  celebrated  picture 
by  Guido,  representing  St.  Michael  subduing  Satan,  which  was 
uncovered  for  my  inspection  by  an  obliging  monk  of  the  bare- 
foot fraternity,  who  spoke  on  the  beauties  of  the  painting  with 
much  knowledge  and  taste.  The  colouring  of  the  head  and 
shadowy  neck,  and  the  celestial  tranquillity  of  the  face,  sim- 
ply regarded  as  beautiful  objects,  are  worthy  of  much  praise; 
but  I  cannot  agree  with  those  enthusiastic  admirers  who  com- 
mend it  for  wanting  an  expression  suitable  to  the  action,  and 
applaud  that  action,  because  it  is  deficient  in  the  energy  of  a 
mortal  form,  since  the  painter  chose  to  represent  nothing  but 
a  mortal  form.  Neither  is  it  an  excellence  in  the  Demon  that 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


151 


he  makes  no  signs  of  resistance.  Energy  of  expression  was 
not  the  talent  of  Guido.  Still,  however,  we  must  return  to 
the  head  and  neck,  and  admire  the  softness  of  its  colouring 
and  the  mild  but  steady  look  of  the  angel. 

The  picture,  over  the  opposite  altar,  byPietro  da  Cortona, 
of  Jinnanias  restoring  sight  to  St.  Paul,  strikes  me  as 
being  the  most  agreeable  of  any  of  that  artist's  work  that  I 
have  seen. 

The  celebrity  of  Granet's  picture  of  the  Capuchin  Chapel, 
which  has  been  exhibited  every  where,  made  me  desirous  of 
seeing  the  chapel  or  oratory  itself.  It  is  behind  the  great  al- 
tar:  through  a  curtain,  I  perceived  the  monks,  who  had  just 
commenced  their  sonorous  vespers  ;  but  as  I  advanced,  the  sa- 
cristan rose  from  his  knees  to  tell  me  I  could  not  enter  till 
they  were  done.  When  he  conducted  me  in,  there  still  re- 
mained some  of  the  glossy  bald  heads,  white  beards,  and  bare 
feet  that  give  such  effect  to  Granet's  painting;  but  I  found  the 
room  smaller  and  of  less  height  than  the  picture  represents  it, 
— which  indeed  is  the  general  fault  of  architectural  views, 
occasioned  by  the  artist  representing  the  whole  interior,  as  if 
the  wall,  against  which  he  stands,  was  removed  and  him- 
self in  fact  a  little,  and  sometimes  a  great  deal  beyond  it. 

The  old  church  of  Santa  Maria  del  Popolo,  just  within 
the  gate,  is  full  of  curious  monuments  and  ancient  sculptures, 
especially  in  basso  relievo;  and  one  chapel,  incrusted  with 
marbles,  is  said  to  be  among  the  richest  in  Rome.  But  an  op- 
posite chapel  contained  the  objects  which  especially  invited 
my  visit — two  statues  designed  and  in  part  executed  by  Ra- 
phael; one  representing  Daniel,  the  other  Habakkuk.  The 
limbs  are  wrought  with  great  beauty  and  nature,  and  the  dra- 
pery cast  in  simple  and  elegant  folds:  but  the  heads  are  gross 
and  vulgar,  and  seem  a  coarse  imitation  of  those  most  fre- 
quently seen' in  ancient  Roman  statues.  In  the  same  chapel 
are  two  statues  by  Bernini,  the  gay  and  fantastic  style  of  which 
forms  a  striking  contrast  with  the  more  quiet  and  simple  taste 


152 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


evinced  by  Raphael,  which  in  these  statues  reminds  one  in  a 
slight  degree  of  Michael  Angelo. 

On  entering  any  of  the  churches  of  Rome,  whatever  pic- 
tures are  hidden  with  curtains  you  may  be  sure  are  works  of 
established  celebrity,  and  which  strangers  are  required  to  see; 
covered  not  so  much  to  preserve  them  from  injury  as  to  ex- 
tract a  fee  from  the  curious.  In  the  Church  of  St.JIgostino, 
there  are  two  covered  ;.one  by  Guercino,  dark,  dirty  and  un- 
interesting; the  other  by  Raphael  hung  on  one  of  the  pilas- 
ters^, an  Isaiah  which  it  is  said  was  painted  in  emulation  of 
those  by  Angelo  in  the  Sistine  chapel,  and  much  commended 
by  him.  It  betrays  laborious  care  in  the  finish  and  an  effort 
to  display  his  best  powers; — it  is  well  coloured  and  the  dra- 
pery in  a  grand  style;  but  the  head  of  the  prophet  is  ignobly 
sunk  between  his  shoulders,  corresponding  with  a  similar  de- 
pression of  the  body. 

In  this  church  there  is  a  marble  Madonna  and  Infant 
brought  from  Constantinople  by  Greeks  when  that  city  was 
taken  by  the  Turks.  I  have  no  where  seen  a  statue  which  ap- 
pears to  be  more  venerated  by  the  pious.  The  motherand  infant 
are  crowned  with  gold;  beads  and  precious  stones  are  profuse- 
ly hung  around  their  necks,  and  costly  rings  cover  her  fingers 
— besides  cases  full  of  similar  articles  which  are  placed  high 
on  the  wall,  out  of  the  reach  of  pilferers;  and  an  astonishing 
quantity  of  votive  offerings  and  little  pictures,  celebrating  the 
cures  which  have  been  effected  by  her  intercession.  Lighted 
candles  are  displayed  all  around,  and  several  massive  silver 
ever  burning  lamps  hang  before  her.  Crowds  of  devotees 
are  always  pressing  to  her  feet,  which  they  kiss  and  touch 
with  their  foreheads.  A  glass  lamp  burns  on  one  side,  near 
which  is  a  supply  of  cotton  and  paper,  in  constant  requisition 
by  a  succession  of  persons  of  both  sexes,  who  dip  a  little  piece 
of  cotton  into  the  sacred  oil  and  wrap  it  up  in  a  bit  of  paper 
to  take  away  with  them. 

The  church  of  La  Trinita  de  Monti,  built  by  the  French 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


153 


King  Charles  VIII.  and  re-established  by  Louis  XVIII.  which 
so  conspicuously  and  delightfully  stands  on  the  Pincian  hill, 
at  the  head  of  the  noble  flight  of  steps,  rising  from  the  Piaz- 
za di  Spagna,  has  lately  been  in  the  possession  of  a  monas- 
tery of  nuns,  and  shut  to  the  public,  except  during  a  few 
days  in  the  year.  On  the  feast  of  St.  Peter's  it  was  to  be 
opened;  and,  being  desirous  of  seeing  a  celebrated  descent 
from  the  cross  by  Daniel  de  Volterra,  I  waited  at  the  door 
till  the  bolt  within  was  drawn,  when  quickly  entering  with  a 
crowd  who  pressed  at  the  door,  a  nun  whose  delicate  hand 
had  just  removed  the  great  iron  bolt,  was  hastening  away, 
and  escaped  observation  in  the  recesses  of  the  postern  arches; 
but  another  nun,  with  her  long  wand,  safe  behind  a  high  rail- 
ing, was  lighting  the  candles  on  the  altar,  who  staid  to  finish 
her  task;  whilst  melancholy  voices  from  the  choir  above,  un- 
seen, moaned  out  what  I  suppose  must  have  been  the  ves- 
pers. The  side  chapels  contain  several  pictures  of  mode- 
rate merit,  chiefly  by  French  pupils,  who  resided  at  Rome, 
and  study  at  the  French  Royal  Academy,  the  grounds  of 
which  adjoin  the  church.  Volterra's  picture,  however,  being 
in  the  sacristy,  could  not  be  seen,  and  a  copy  of  it  in  damaged 
fresco,  offered  no  attractions  to  detain  me. 

In  the  church  of  St.  Maria  della  Pace,  though  its  an- 
cient sculpture  may  not  be  interesting,  nor  a  black  altar- 
piece,  by  Maratti,  be  worth  looking  at,  is  to  be  seen  a  trea- 
sure from  the  pencil  of  Raphael — a  sublime  composition,  re- 
presenting the  Sibyls  predicting  the  birth  of  Christ.  It 
is  a  large  semicircular  picture  in  fresco,  which  has  been  well 
restored,  and  is  now  in  good  condition.  The  curtain  which 
covers  this  from  profane  eyes,  is  removed  by  an  obliging  sa- 
cristan, whose  eyes  sparkle  at  the  praise  of  Raphael,  and  to 
whom  you  cheerfully  pay  your  curtain  fee. 

The  magnificent  basilica  of  St.  Maria  Maggiore  has  the 
advantage  over  all  the  churches  of  Rome  in  its  situation,  be- 
ing in  the  centre  of  a  vast  open  space,  on  the  summit  of  the 
Esquiline  hill,  to  which  several  streets  converge.    In  front 

20 


154 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


of  it,  the  beautiful  fluted  column,  formed  of  one  pice  of  white 
marble,  and  measuring  forty-four  feet  without  the  pedestal  or 
capital,  which  was  taken  from  the  Temple  of  Peace,  remains 
to  give  some  idea  of  the  grandeur  and  elegance  of  that  edi- 
fice. On  entering  the  Basilica,  the  eye  is  charmed  with  the 
long  perspective  of  forty  beautiful  antique  columns,  the  sim- 
ple horizontal  cornice  which  they  support,  the  range  of  win- 
dows and  decorations  above  them,  and  the  richly  panelled 
flat  ceiling  above  all.  Besides  the  Chapel  of  the  Sacra- 
ment,  distinguished  by  a  tabernacle  supported  by  four  an- 
gels of  gilt  bronze,  the  splendid  Borghese  chapel  is  particu- 
larly rich  in  sculpture,  painting,  and  precious  stones,  and 
therefore,  as  usual  in  such  princely  chapels,  is  enclosed  with 
iron  railings.  The  Basilica  of  St.  Maria  Maggiore,  outside 
and  inside,  ranks  next  to  St.  Peter's  for  elegance. 

The  Basilica  of  San  Giovanni,  the  first  that  presented  its 
elegant  front,  crowned  with  statues,  on  entering  the  gate  from 
Naples,  is  the  last  on  our  short  list.  On  approaching  this 
church,  the  first  object  that  invites  attention  is  the  great 
Egyptian  obelisk,  covered  with  hieroglyphics.  That  which 
is  in  front  of  St.  Peter's  is  the  only  unbroken  one;  that  at 
the  Porta  del  Popolo  is  the  first;  and  this,  in  the  piazza  of 
St.  John,  is  the  last  that  was  brought  to  Rome,  and  measures 
one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  without  its  pedestal.  Passing 
round  to  the  front  of  the  edifice,  on  a  terrace  which  com- 
mands a  fine  view  of  the  country  beyond  the  walls,  and  the 
ruined  arches  of  Nero's  Claudian  aqueduct;  you  rise  a  few 
spacious  steps  to  the  great  portico,  within  which  you  see  a 
statue  of  Constantine,  taken  from  the  ruins  of  his  baths,  and 
the  great  central  doors  of  sculptured  bronze  which  belonged 
to  an  ancient  temple.  On  entering,  you  find  yourself  in  a 
vast  hall,  unusually  light,  and  well  calculated  for  the  splendid 
ceremonies  which  are  performed  in  it.  The  aisles  are  di- 
vided from  the  nave  by  massive  arches,  between  which,  in 
great  sunken  niches,  are  colossal  statues  of  the  Apostles,  ex- 
ecuted )}y  the  best  artists  of  the  time.     There  are  several 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


155 


elegant  chapels  opening  from  the  aisles,  but  that  called  the 
Corsini  chapel,  is  the  most  beautiful  in  Rome;  decorated 
with  the  most  costly  and  exquisite  productions  of  all  the  arts, 
and  containing,  among  other  excellent  sculpture,  two  figures 
near  the  door,  of  enchanting  little  children,  which  are  among 
the  most  delightful  objects  I  have  ever  beheld. 

Nearly  in  front  of  the  Basilica  is  a  building  externally 
of  little  note,  and  within  of  no  beauty.  It  is,  however,  high- 
ly venerated  as  containing  twenty-eight  marble  steps  that  be- 
longed to  the  Palace  of  Pontius  Pilate,  sanctified,  it  is  said, 
by  the  blood  of  Christ,  who  was  conducted  up  them  when 
crowned  with  thorns  to  be  shown  to  the  people.  These 
holy  stairs  (scala  santa)  are  the  centre  of  five  parallel  flights 
from  the  portico  to  the  landing  place.  The  curious  visiter 
may  walk  up  and  down  any  of  these  steps ;  but  the  central 
flight,  which  is  never  ascended  but  by  the  faithful  on  their 
knees,  although  entirely  cased  over  with  wood,  with  perfo- 
rations through  which  the  white  marble  steps,  much  worn, 
may  be  seen  and  touched.  Sometimes  very  picturesque  groups 
of  pilgrims,  peasants,  and  citizens,  including  even  little  chil- 
dren, may  be  seen  performing  this  difficult,  and,  to  some 
knees,  painful  march,  pausing  on  each  step  to  repeat  a  prayer. 
At  the  head  of  the  stairs,  a  grated  window,  like  that  of  a 
prison,  looks  into  a  dark  chapel  containing  a  great  quantity 
of  precious  relics.  It  is  surrounded  by  other  chapels,  inte- 
resting to  none  but  pious  and  penitent  persons. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  Basilica  is  a  plain  octagonal 
building,  the  baptistry  of  St.  John,  which,  in  the  holy  week, 
becomes  of  primary  interest  by  the  baptism  of  a  Jew  and  a 
Turk. 

A  long  walk  out  of  the  Salarian  Gate  took  us  to  the  Villa 
Albani,  where  two  hours  were  scarcely  sufficient  to  examine 
this  highly  decorated  little  palace  of  the  Cardinal  Albani. 
The  gardens  and  grounds,  in  the  Italian  style,  with  fences  of 
cut  evergreens,  terraces,  balustrades,  fountains,  and  canals, 
are  of  great  extent,  variety,  and  beauty.    This  Casina  was 


156 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


the  splendid  and  costly  toy  of  an  enthusiastic  and  extrava- 
gant lover  of  ancient  statuary.  It  is  constructed  of  the 
richest  marbles  and  columns,  with  niches,  recesses,  and  pe- 
destals for  the  display  of  a  most  extensive  and  choice  collec- 
tion of  statues,  busts,  and  vases.  Bassi  relievi  are  inserted 
in  the  walls ;  fresco,  and  every  kind  of  decorative  painting, 
are  in  studious  accord  with  those  objects.  Ranges  of  small 
rooms  in  the  style  of  the  ancients,  are  profusely  decorated 
with  busts  and  other  sculpture.  In  one  of  these,  there  is  a 
beautiful  fluted  antique  column  of  oriental  alabaster,  which 
is  about  twenty  feet  long.  It  is  said  to  be  unique,  but  the 
architect  has  selected  from  the  Italian  marbles,  one  that 
resembles  it  in  colour,  to  serve  as  a  companion  in  the  ar- 
rangement of  this  beautiful  room.  In  the  grand  saloon, 
which  is  exquisitely  enriched  with  incrustations  of  precious 
stones  and  inlaid  arabasques;  the  ceiling  is  ornamented  by  a 
highly  finished  fresco,  representing  Jlpollo  and  the  Muses, 
by  Raphael  Mengs,  one  of  the  best  works  of  the  last  great 
painter  in  this  style. 

The  collection  of  antique  statues  which  are  preserved  in 
the  public  buildings  on  the  Capitoline  mount,  is  called  the 
Museum  of  the  Capitol;  and  consists  of  a  valuable  assem- 
blage of  statues,  busts,  vases,  sarcophagi,  bassi  relievi,  &c. — 
Egyptian,  Greek,  and  Roman.  The  court  yard  is  full  of  co- 
lossal objects;  the  halls,  corridors,  and  stairways  are  lined 
with  them;  and,  above,  a  magnificent  series  of  rooms  contain 
a  most  interesting  collection;  among  which  are  to  be  found  the 
Dying  Gladiator,  the  Jlntinous,  Cupid  and  Psyche,  the 
Faun,  and  the  Venus  of  the  Capitol;  and  busts  of  Socrates, 
Seneca,  Homer,  Demosthenes,  &c.  The  rooms  of  the  ob- 
solete senate,  likewise,  contain  many  similar  antiquities  and 
curious  fresco  paintings  on  large  walls. 

In  the  same  building  two  halls  are  appropriated  to  the  dis- 
play of  what  is  called  the  Picture  Gallery.  This  collection 
is  more  numerous  than  that  of  the  Vatican,  but  contains  few 
pictures  of  much  merit — Guercino's  St.  Petronilla,  The 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


157 


Rape  of  Europe,  by  P.  Veronesse,  Guido's  St.  Sebastian, 
and  a  few  others  are  among  the  best.  But  the  artist  is  inte- 
rested in  examining  several  unfinished  pictures  by  Guido, 
which  sho\v  his  manner  of  proceeding  from  a  slight  sketchy 
dead  colouring  to  his  most  exquisite  finish.  In  a  series  of 
rooms  on  the  ground  floor,  recently  fitted  up  with  taste  and 
great  public  liberality,  is  a  growing  collection  of  busts  of  mo- 
dern painters, 'sculptors,  poets,  philosophers,  &c. 

In  coming  out  of  the  Gallery  of  statues  a  group  of  little 
beggar  children  beset  me,  Conceiving  it  needless  to  encou- 
rage this  idle  imposition  on  strangers,  I  took  no  notice  of  them ; 
when  one  of  them,  with  great  vivacity,  proposed  that  if  I 
would  follow  him  he  would  show  me  "  all  the  antiquities  of 
Rome."  Being  at  leisure  I  followed  the  urchin,  to  know  what 
he  might  be  able  to  show  me,  behind  the  Capitol.  He  car- 
ried a  little  brother  on  his  shoulder,  and,  trotting  fast  on, 
looked  back,  often  to  see  that  I  was  following  him,  through 
passages  I  should  not  have  thought  of  tracing,  into  an  ele- 
vated street  of  old  buildings  inhabited  by  poor  people.  At 
the  end  of  this  street  he  stopped  at  a  door,  where  1  perceived 
an  inscription  indicating  that  it  was  the  "  Entrance  to  the  Tar- 
peian  rock."  After  paying  my  little  beggar  for  his  usefulness, 
a  flight  of  stone  steps  brought  me  to  a  room  which  opened 
into  a  small  kitchen  garden,  the  owner  of  which  conducted 
me  through  it  to  a  low  wall,  and  showed  me  the  steep  preci- 
pice below,  as  the  spot  where  criminals  were  formerly  thrown 
down.  In  every  description  I  had  read,  the  elevation  was  de- 
scribed as  very  inconsiderable,  but  I  thought  it  very  great, 
looking  down  upon  the  tops  of  houses.  Whether  or  not  this 
be  the  Tarpeian  rock,  the  view  from  the  garden  is  quite  in- 
teresting, showing  the  Temple  of  Peace,  the  Colosseum,  the 
foundations  of  Caesar's  palace  on  the  great  square  hill  op- 
posite to  us,  formerly  comprising  all  the  Rome  of  Romulus, 
and  his  own  straw-roofed  cottage,  the  baths  of  Caracalla,  the 
winding  Tiber,  and  the  hills  in  the  distance.  But,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Capitol,  I  was  afterwards  conducted  by  a 


158 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


friend  to  a  wall,  immediately  adjoining  the  Capitol,  which  by 
some  is  more  assuredly  considered  the  spot  of  execution,  as 
here  the  rocky  precipice  is  more  apparent,  and  the  base  is 
more  directly  opposite  the  Tiber,  into  which  the  dead  bodies 
were  subsequently  thrown. 

An  application  to  a  barber  whose  shop  adjoins  the  door, 
and  who  is  custode  of  the  gallery  called  the  Academy  of 
St.  Luke,  gave  us  access  to  this  hall,  which  is  rilled  with  a 
great  variety  of  small  pictures.  The  first  object  to  which 
your  attention  is  invited,  is  the  Skull  of  Raphael,  preserved 
in  a  small  glass  case,  which  enables  you  to  see  it  all  round. 
The  forehead  and  temples,  though  not  large,  appear  to  me  of 
a  much  more  beautiful  conformation  than  any  of  the  portraits 
I  have  seen  of  him.  The  most  valued  picture  in  the  room 
is  one  executed  by  Raphael  himself,  representing  St.  Luke 
painting  the  Portraits  of  the  Virgin  and  Saviour,  who 
appear  to  him  on  a  cloud  close  to  his  easel.  It  is  highly 
finished,  and  is  certainly  interesting;  but  it  is  quite  imaginary 
to  suppose  that  there  is  the  head  of  St.  Luke  "  all  the  fire, 
the  glow,  and  the  inspiration  of  commanding  genius.5'  On 
the  contrary,  it  is  devoid  of  all  expression — a  mere  ordinary 
portrait  of  a  painter  looking  off  from  his  work,  at  the  spec- 
tator, regardless  of  his  celestial  sitter,  who  betrays  no  more 
expression  nor  interest  than  himself. 

The  room  contains  a  great  many  Heads  of  Artists,  co- 
pied from  the  Florence  Gallery,  and  Portraits  of  Modern 
Artists  who  have  resided  at  Rome,  and  presented  them  on 
being  elected  members  of  the  academy — among  these,  that  of 
Madame  Lebrun,  painted  by  herself,  pleased  me  best  for 
the  beauty  of  the  colour  and  the  animation  of  the  counte- 
nance. Two  good  landscapes  by  Salvator  Rosa,  and  a  few 
otherSj  the  names  of  which  our  barber  custode  did  not  know, 
amused  me  for  half  an  hour.  The  drawing  department  of 
this  academy  has  been  removed  to  a  larger  building  in  ano- 
ther part  of  the  city. 

The  French  Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts,  founded  at  Rome 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


159 


by  Louis  XIV.  is  in  the  Villa  Medici,  delightfully  situated 
on  the  brow  of  the  Pincian  hill:  the  most  agreeable  prome- 
nade of  Rome,  passes  in  front  of  it  from  the  top  of  the  steps 
of  the  Piazza  di  Spagna  to  the  public  walks  which  over- 
look the  Porta  del  Popolo.  The  terrace  in  front  of  the  aca- 
demy is  at  an  elevation  above  the  tops  of  the  houses,  on  which 
you  look  down  from  the  pleasant  shade  of  an  avenue  of  ilex 
or  ever-green  oaks,  ornamented  by  a  fountain.  On  entering 
the  great  portal  of  the  palace,  you  ascend  to  the  principal 
story,  which  is  on  a  level  with  the  extensive  grounds  behind, 
laid  out  in  spacious  walks,  both  open  and  shaded,  and  orna- 
mented with  fountains  and  statues  .within  the  circumference 
of  a  mile.  Various  buildings  in  the  gardens,  and  in  the  main 
edifice,  afford  accommodations  for  twenty-four  students,  who 
are  sent  here  to  complete  their  studies  at  the  public  expense. 
Here  is  a  valuable  library  of  the  arts,  and  a  choice  collection 
of  the  most  perfect  impressions  in  plaster  from  celebrated  sta- 
tues, for  the  use  of  students.  A  fine  cast  of  the  exquisitely 
beautiful  figure  of  the  Dead  Christ  by  Michael  Angelo,  may 
be  examined  in  a  clear  light  below  the  eye,  as  well  as  other 
precious  objects,  An  elegant  hall  in  the  main  building  con- 
tains some  excellent  works  in  marble,  executed  by  artists  who 
have  finished  their  studies  under  this  royal  patronage ;  and 
several  of  the  rooms,  lined  with  good  but  ancient  tapestry, 
are  occupied  by  the  director  of  the  academy.  The  amiable 
and  celebrated  Guerin  had  just  completed  his  six  years  resi- 
dence on  this  delightful  spot,  in  the  honourable  office  of  di- 
rector; but  I  was  grieved  to  see  that  Rome  had  failed  to  re- 
store him  to  the  activity  of  health.  His  successor,  Horace 
Vernet,  had  but  recently  arrived,  in  the  vigour  of  health,  re- 
putation, and  enterprise  ;  and  was  surrounded,  every  Thurs- 
day evening,  by  artists  of  all  nations,  who  assembled  at  his 
converzationi,  which  were  often  enlivened  by  excellent 
music. 

From  the  top  of  this  building,  which  is  conveniently  con- 
structed with  covered  places  and  open  balustrades,  you  com- 


160 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


mand  the  most  beautiful  panoramic  view  of  Rome,  com- 
prising every  interesting  object,  except  the  Colosseum,  which 
is  hid  behind  the  long  line  of  the  Quirinal  Palace;  and,  on 
the  other  side,  an  extensive  and  delightful  view  of  the  sur- 
rounding country,  especially  the  hills  of  Albano,  Tivoli,  and 
Frascati. 

The  circular  tower  of  the  Castle  of  St.  Jlngelo,  about  a 
mile  distant,  is  distinctly  seen ;  from  which  an  expert  engi- 
neer, on  a  wager,  so  well  directed  his  artillery,  that  the  bul- 
let struck  his  mark,-  the  front  door  of  this  building,  then  un- 
occupied— you  are  shown  the  indent  which  still  remains  in 
the  iron  casing,  for  every  thing  is  preserved  that  can  be 
shown  or  talked  of. 

The  vast  circular  tomb  of  Hadrian,  nearly  two  hundred 
feet  in  diameter,  constitutes  but  a  small  part  of  what  is  now 
the  fortress  of  St.  Angelo.  Yet  this  tomb  was  of  such  im- 
mense size,  that,  after  being  divested  of  its  precious  objects 
of  art,  it  was  converted  into  a  fortress  by  battlements  erect- 
ed on  its  top,  and  afterwards  surrounded  with  walls,  bas- 
tions, and  other  military  appendages  by  successive  popes. 
A  soldier  conducted  us  to  the  upper  part  of  the  building, 
where  we  found  a  dirty  but  civil  tailor  at  work,  who  laid 
down  his  unfinished  regimentals  and  escorted  us  through 
the  remainder  of  the  edifice.  The  whole  interior  is  built 
up  with  rooms  and  stair-cases  of  the  most  ordinary  kind, 
except  one  large  and  splendid  chamber,  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  building,  occupied -by  the  pope  when  he  visits  the 
castle.  The  walls  of  this  are  covered  with  excellent  fres- 
cos by  Julio  Romano,  and  the  ceiling  by  a  pupil  of  Ra- 
phael's. From  the  stone  terrace  on  the  top,  we  had  a  good 
view  of  the  front  and  dome  of  St.  Peter's,  but  intervening 
houses  hid  the  noble  place  in  front,  except  a  small  portion 
of  one  of  the  piazzas.  It  was  the  intention  of  the  French 
government  to  have  removed  all  those  buildings.  Here 
we  advantageously  saw  the  bronze  angel  which  crowns  and 
gives  name  to  the  castle,  a  figure  so  much  abused  by  the 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


161 


author  of  "Rome  in  the  Nineteenth  Century,"  who  could 
only  have  seen  it  from  the  ground  in  some  unlucky  points  of 
view.  She  appears  to  have  a  particular  aversion  to  angels. 
It  is  true  the  marble  ones  on  the  bridge  are  mottled  and 
dirty,  but  they  by  no  means  offended  me  with  their  varied 
actions  of  somewhat  mannered  grace  which  Bernini  delight- 
ed to  give,  or  knew  not  how  to  avoid.  And  when  new  and 
clean,  and  before  such  quantities  of  fine  Greek  statues  were 
found,  they  must  have  been  considered  very  beautiful  ob- 
jects. The  court-yards  contain  stores  of  iron  balls,  besides 
heaps  of  stone  balls,  wrought  by  the  soldiers  themselves 
from  motives  of  industry  and  economy. 

Desirous  of  seeing  the  port  of  Rome,  we  followed  the 
winding  course  of  the  Tiber  downwards,  from  the  bridge 
of  the  Holy  Angels,  passing  through  many  dirty  and  nar- 
row streets,  the  residence  of  the  poorest  classes  of  labour- 
ing people,  who  were  cooking  their  dinners  in  the  streets, 
knitting,  sewing,  and  gossiping.  They  were  much  more 
decently  and  comfortably  clothed  than  the  same  class  at 
Naples,  and  appeared  quite  happy  and  healthy,  knowing 
nothing  of  any  malaria.  Occasionally  we  got  to  the  edge 
of  the  muddy  river,  and  had  a  view  of  the  old  bridge,  {pons 
palatinus,)  one  half  of  which  remains  projecting  into  the 
river,  and  supports  a  garden.  At  last,  at  the  extremity  of 
the  city,  we  reached  a  large  range  of  warehouses  and  a  small 
quay,  where  lay  half  a  dozen  little  vessels  and  a  miniature 
steam-boat,  which  plies  between  this  and  Civita  Vecchia9 
the  real  port  of  Rome,  at  thirty  or  forty  miles  distance  on 
the  sea. 

Shortly  after  my  arrival  in  Rome,  the  death  of  the  Pope, 
more  effectually  than  Lent,  put  a  stop  to  all  theatrical  exhi- 
bitions— yet,  before  they  closed,  I  had  an  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  tragedy  of  Desdemona  performed  in  the  highest 
style  of  Roman  taste;  the  chief  female  character  by  a  ce- 
lebrated actress  who  is  said  to  be  the  66  best  in  the  world." 
She  certainly  performed  her  part  to  the  very  last  limits  of 

21 


162 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


expression,  in  voice,  countenance,  and  action,  totally  re- 
gardless of  any  injury  that  her  beauty  might  sustain  by 
turgid  veins  and  distorted  features.  This  scenic  exhibition, 
though  I  could  not  understand  much  of  what  was  said,  I 
found  very  interesting,  as  it  was  in  strict  correspondence 
with  the  exaggeration  which  the  Roman  painters  practice 
in  their  historic  compositions,  and  displayed  a  powerful 
and  simple  system  of  gesture.  The  actor  passed  from  one 
expressive  action  to  another,  without  any  intermediate  and 
unmeaning  actions;  and  studied  to  exhibit  the  very  attitudes 
and  fingering  which  we  are  accustomed  to  see  every  day  in 
the  works  of  the  great  painters  and  sculptors. 

For  the  purpose  of  seeing  the  interior  of  the  vast  circu- 
lar wall  which  remains  of  the  proud  tomb  of  Augustus, 
now  converted  into  a  theatre  for  the  exhibition  of  bull 
fights  and  equestrian  performances,  I  went  to  an  exhibition 
of  the  latter.  I  found  the  seats,  fashioned  like  those  in  the 
ancient  amphitheatre,  covering  a  large  portion  of  the  dia- 
meter; a  row  of  sixty-one  boxes  around  its  sides,  and  the 
terrace  on  the  top  of  them,  all  filled  with  spectators  of  eve- 
ry rank,  to  the  amount,  it  is  said,  of  thirty-five  thousand 
persons.  The  circle  for  the  horses,  temporarily  erected  in 
the  centre  of  the  arena  for  the  bull  fights,  was  not  large, 
and  the  performances  not  better  than  are  usually  given  in 
America.  The  costumes,  however,  were  more  correct,  and 
the  imitations  of  the  contests  of  gladiators  marked  by  more 
vigorous  muscular  efforts,  and  by  stronger  picturesque  ex- 
pression; the  spectators  testifying  their  approbation  by  loud 
applause  and  the  waving  of  handkerchiefs.  The  building 
is  so  high  that  the  arena,  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in 
diameter,  is  two  or  three  stories  above  the  ground,  with 
rooms  below,  which  are  used  for  various  purposes.  Except 
the  boxes,  which  are  covered,  all  other  parts  are  exposed 
to  the  weather  and  the  rays  of  the  sun,  and  the  occasional 
drenching  of  a  shower;  as  the  performances  are  in  the  day 
time.  Yet  the  Roman  multitude  waited  patiently  for  hours, 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


163 


many  of  them  in  the  broiling  sun,  and  many  hundreds  with- 
out seats,  for  the  commencement  of  an  entertainment  that 
with  us  could  have  enticed  spectators  only  during  the  lei- 
sure of  the  night. 

Pulchinello,  as  exhibited  in  the  streets  by  a  man  who 
stands  in  a  narrow  upright  box,  where  he  talks  and  squeaks 
to  the  action  of  little  puppets  on  his  elevated  hands,  appears 
to  be  a  favourite  amusement  with  the  people.  I  have  seen 
some  of  these,  however,  where  the  coarse  monotonous  voice 
of  the  operator,  and  his  vain  efforts  to  be  droll,  failed  to  de- 
tain the  smallest  audience  from  the  passing  throng — but  at 
other  times,  around  a  happier  genius,  of  more  flexible  voice, 
producing  witty  repartees  with  rapid  and  animated  inci- 
dents, a  thickening  crowd  have  united  in  bursts  of  laughter 
and  some  remuneration  to  the  compendious  manager,  as 
soon  as  he  issued,  in  copious  perspiration,  from  his  closet. 

But  a  more  perfect  puppet  show  is  frequented  near  the 
Corso,  where,  in  a  little  theatre  of  stage,  orchestra,  boxes, 
and  pit,  a  regular  tragedy  or  drama  is  performed  by  figures 
about  fourteen  inches  high,  moved  by  wires  and  strings,  so 
well  dressed,  and  with  actions  of  head  and  hands  so  very 
natural  that  to  some  persons  they  appear  the  size  of  life — 
each  figure  having  a  distinct  man  or  woman  behind  the 
scenes  to  speak  for  it.  I  have  been  very  much  amused  with 
the  true  Italian  energy  and  action  of  some  of  these  little 
things;  but  the  auditors  appeared  to  be  much  more  diverted 
with  the  wit  of  one  of  them,  or  rather  the  wag  behind  the 
scene. 

Serious  as  the  Romans  certainly  are,  the  least  unusual  oc- 
currence in  the  streets  arrests  attention,  and  a  curious  crowd 
is  collected,  sometimes  nobody  knows  why.  A  little  carica- 
ture drawing,  a  new  lithographic  print  of  moderate  merit,  or 
a  specimen  of  gay  paper  hangings  from  Paris,  is  sure  to  at- 
tract the  attention  of  all  classes.  They  appear  to  lounge 
away  half  their  time  in  the  streets,  which  are  thronged  with 
them,  except  in  the  middle  of  a  hot  day,  or  during  a  shower, 


164 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


when  their  total  absence  shows  how  little  business  is  doing. 
At  two  o'clock  in  the  warm  weather  I  have  found  it  impossi- 
ble to  get  a  carriage,  none  being  on  any  of  the  stands,  and  the 
busiest  streets,  in  their  whole  length,  without  the  sign  of  a 
horse,  carriage,  or  living  creature,  except  an  occasional  shop- 
girl crossing  the  street,  or  labourers  dozing  on  the  church 
steps  or  side  walks.  At  this  time  they  have  taken  their  lun- 
cheon, and  with  closed  windows  to  keep  out  the  flies,  are 
agreed  in  one  general  doze.  Even  the  shop  keeper,  if  his 
door  is  not  locked,  has  the  great  curtain,  which  hangs  before 
his  door  and  window,  pinned  close;  and,  if  you  enter,  is  pro- 
bably aroused  from  his  slumber  in  the  dark.  But  in  the  even- 
ing all  again  comes  to  life,  and  the  streets  are  a  little  merry 
till  eleven  o'clock,  though  empty  and  quiet  in  the  winter  at 
nine.  But  the  songs  of  merriment,  which  are  then  to  be 
heard  from  young  companies  going  home,  are  more  loud  than 
musical,  and  each  stanza  of  a  melancholy  air,  in  the  prevail- 
ing taste  among  the  populace,  ends  with  an  intolerably  long 
drone,  gradually  dying  away. 

In  the  dearth  of  amusements  for  the  evenings  at  Rome, 
where  there  are  but  few  theatres,  and  all  are  shut  during 
Lent,  several  distinguished  persons  have  adopted  a  device, 
invented,!  am  told,  at  Venice,  which  accords  very  well  with 
the  taste  of  Rome,  where  pictures  are  so  often  the  subject 
of  conversation,  as  they  are  a  motive  with  foreigners  in 
coming  here.  This  consists  in  the  contrivance  and  exhibition 
of  living  pictures.  I  was  invited  to  see  the  exhibition  of  se- 
veral of  these  "  Tableaux  Vivans"  at  the  residence  of  a 
Scotch  gentleman  of  fortune.  According  to  custom,  the 
company  did  not  begin  to  assemble  till  near  nine  o'clock;  but 
soon,  the  magnificent  apartments,  once  the  habitation  of  the 
Cardinal  Albani,  who  had  profusely  covered  the  walls  with 
pictures,  which  are  let  with  the  house,  were  filled  with  a 
company  of  Scotch  and  English.  After  tea,  we  moved  to- 
wards a  long  gallery,  at  the  farther  end  of  which  a  screen 
was  erected,  with  a  crimson  banner,  having  the  coat  of  arms 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


165 


in  gold,  of  the  cardinal  on  it,  now  serving  as  a  curtain  to  the 
scene.  When  tfye  company  was  seated,  and  the  lights  re- 
moved, the  curtain  was  drawn  aside,  and  the  picture  which 
lived  before  us  was  a  female  in  the  costume  and  attitude  of 
the  Medea  of  the  Borghese  Palace'.  For  a  half  minute  she 
sat  motionless,  when  the  curtain  was  replaced,  to  allow  a 
minute's  rest;  and  a  second  and  third  exposure  permitted  us 
to  examine  the  details  of  the  composition.  Each  time  of 
closing  the  curtain,  the  company,  in  the  manner  of  the  coun- 
try, applauded  by  clapping  hands.  In  about  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes,  another  subject  was  prepared,  consisting  of  two 
figures  from  a  picture  by  Vandyck,  splendidly  dressed  in  the 
ancient  costume  of  England.  Another  picture  was  person- 
ated by  a  little  boy  as  a  St.  John,  with  his  fur  mantle  and 
cross.  One  composition  consisted  of  five  figures — Desde- 
mona  about  to  receive  the  poison.  These  parts  were  sus- 
tained by  the  family  of  a  celebrated  artist,  Mr.  Wilson: — 
himself,  wife  and  children,  who  have  a  particular  taste  and 
fancy  for  this  thing.  The  figures,  elevated  on  a  platform, 
are  illuminated  by  patent  lamps  and  reflectors,  arranged  to 
suit  the  composition  and  concealed  behind  the  partition, 
through  which  an  opening  is  left,  which  may  be  made  larger 
or  smaller  by  a  change  of  frames.  A  double  black  gauze 
covers  the  opening,  and  has  the  effect  of  softening  the  too 
great  reality  of  the  scene — but  even  so,  no  painting  could 
compare  with  the  richness  and  force  of  the  effects  of  light, 
shadow  and  reflection,  especially  on  the  fine  complexions  of 
the  amiable  daughters  of  our  host,  who  took  parts  in  the  ex- 
hibition. 

I  had  seen  at  Naples  two  paintings  by  the  Chevalier  Ca- 
mucini,  which  did  not  strike  me  very  favourably — but  I  had 
often  admired  the  prints  from  his  Death  of  Virginia.  A  visit 
to  his  studio,  consisting  of  a  great  number  of  rooms  and  gal- 
leries, filled  with  beautiful  plaster  casts  and  his  own  pictures, 
cartoons  and  studies,  served  to  raise  him  very  much  in  my 
estimation.    Here  we  saw  his  original  cartoons,  executed  on 


166 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


gray  paper  with  black  and  white  chalk,  of  the  same  dimen- 
sions as  the  pictures  which  were  afterwards  painted  from 
them — his  Death  of  Virginia,  Assassination  of  Csesar, 
and  many  others;  of  which  there  are  likewise  small  copies 
in  colour,  and  various  original  sketches,  besides  fine  studies 
made  from  the  works  of  Raphael.  Some  of  the  small  stu- 
dies, which  give  his  first  composition  in  oil  colours,  possess  a 
merit  in  colouring  which  generally  disappears  on  being  ela- 
borated on  his  large  canvass. 

At  his  dwelling-house,  on  Sundays,  visiters  are  permitted 
to  examine  a  choice  collection  of  pictures  by  the  old  mas- 
ters, among  which  is  a  beautiful  Sunset  by  Claude  Lor- 
raine. 

The  Chevalier  Landi,  who  occupies  excellent  apartments 
in  the  Colonna  Palace,  politely  shows  to  visiters  a  number  of 
his  large  historical  pictures,  which  exhibit  great  variety  of 
invention,  and  extreme  care  in  the  finish,  especially  of  the 
draperies;  but  his  colouring  partakes  too  much  of  the  pre- 
vailing taste  of  modern  Italy,  chiefly  defective  in  the  tone  of 
the  shadows  and  grounds,  which  should  be  more  negative 
and  brown. 

But  I  found  in  the  Portuguese  Chevalier  Sequiera,  an  ar- 
tist of  an  extraordinary  taste  for  colouring.  Although  seven- 
ty-one years  of  age,  he  possesses  the  ardour  and  amiable  vi- 
vacity of  youth.  His  composition,  in  small  figures,  repre 
senting  the  eastern  monarchs  and  wise  men  coming  to  adore 
the  Infant  Saviour,  possesses  a  most  magical  effect  of  light 
and  colour,  comprising  an  astonishing  variety  of  most  inte- 
resting, singular,  and  expressive  groups,  rich  in  the  colours 
of  eastern  costume,  and  illuminated  by  the  magic  rays  of 
the  guiding  star,  which  has  stopped  over  the  heads  of  the 
mother  and  child.  It  is  the  enchantment  of  painting,  conse- 
crating its  luxurious  dreamings  to  the  homage  of  religion. 

A  great  number  of  other  foreign  artists,  residing  at  Rome, 
are  distinguished  for  their  talents  in  painting,  and  are  the 
most  esteemed  for  colouring — English,  Russians,  French,  and 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


167 


Swiss.  Mr.  Eastlake,  Mr.  Severn,  Mr.  Williams,  are  cele- 
brated for  their  taste  in  groups,  characteristic  of  the  coun- 
try— peasants,  pilgrims,  robbers,  beggars,  &c. 

Many  of  these  pictures,  which  command  great  admiration 
for  their  beautiful  execution,  convey,  however,  to  other  coun- 
tries erroneous  impressions  of  costume  and  peasantry.  Stu- 
dies are  sometimes  made  from  real  peasants  and  actual  cos- 
tume; but  in  general  they  are  finished  from  persons  in  Rome 
who  only  act  in  character,  and  are  apt  to  be  too  well  ar- 
rayed. In  the  via  Sistina  on  the  Pincian  hill,  I  have  often 
seen  one  of  these  city  maidens  affecting  the  guise  of  moun- 
tain peasantry,  whose  business  it  was  to  sit  to  artists  residing 
in  the  neighbourhood.  But  her  dress,  in  which  her  vanity 
and  coquetry  appeared  to  be  exceedingly  delighted,  exceed- 
ed the  utmost  finery  of  village  splendour,  by  the  most  costly 
materials  of  velvet  and  silk,  gold  and  silver,  unsoiled  by  la- 
bour and  unrumpled  by  rustic  hands. 

Keiserman,  a  Swiss  landscape  painter,  whose  ardour  and 
enthusiasm,  made  him  an  untiring  student  of  nature,  pos- 
sesses in  his  portfolio  a  great  collection  of  delightful  scenes, 
executed  in  water  colours,  with  unusual  taste  and  spirit. 

When  he  first  came  to  Rome,  a  poor  boy,  about  thirty- 
five  years  ago,  the  Colosseum,  then  a  picturesque  ruin, 
overhung  with  foliage,  was  his  daily  resort  and  chief  place 
of  study.  Architectural  drawings,  which  he  executed  with 
great  beauty,  afforded  him  the  means  of  living;  till  Denis,  a 
celebrated  Swiss  landscape  painter,  persuaded  him  to  ac- 
company him  in  his  picturesque  excursions,  which  soon  en- 
chanted the  enthusiastic  youth.  His  portfolios  are  rich  with 
the  studies  he  made  from  nature,  spending,  as  he  did,  whole 
days  among  trees  and  rocks,  contented  with  the  dinner  which 
he  carried  in  his  pocket.  When  it  was  determined  to  re- 
move the  adjacent  and  superincumbent  walls,  and  repair  the 
Arch  of  Titus,  Keiserman  began  a  drawing  of  it,  which  re- 
quiring several  weeks  to  finish,  the  government,  from  respect 
to  his  talents,  ordered  the  repairs  to  be  suspended — and  his 


168 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


drawing  records,  as  it  was  seen  in  the  days  of  our  forefathers, 
the  arch  of  Titus,  now  renovated  to  preside  over  the  via 
sacra,  recently  uncovered,  descending  towards  the  Colos- 
seum. It  is  delightful  to  listen  to  this  artist's  account  of  ex- 
cursions in  search  of  picturesque  scenery,  and  to  watch  the 
variety  of  powerful  expression  that  plays  among  his  glowing 
features. 

It  was  unfortunate  for  me  that  Canova's  statues  were  al- 
most all  packed  up  to  be  sent  to  his  native  city,  Venice;  so 
that  only  a  few  of  them  could  be  seen  in  their  boxes.  But 
in  his  extensive  studios,  there  are  a  number  of  casts  from  his 
most  beautiful  and  exquisitely  graceful  female  figures. 

The  Danish  sculptor,  Thorwaldsen,  who  was  considered 
the  rival  of  Canova,  is  chiefly  commended  for  his  works  in 
basso  relievo,  which  are  altogether  in  the  antique  taste, 
and  for  the  great  simplicity  of  his  colossal  statues;  but  his 
Graces,  though  executed  subsequently,  are  inferior  to  those 
of  Canova. 

Thorwaldsen  was  originally  in  Denmark  a  ship  builder. 
He  studied  at  Rome  to  become  an  artist  with  singular  assi- 
duity, although  contending  with  the  most  distressing  poverty, 
till  the  age  of  thirty.  His  practice  at  the  academy  was  to 
draw  from  the  life  only  those  parts  of  the  figure  which 
chanced  to  please  him.  He  modeled  in  clay  numerous  spi- 
rited compositions  which  he  was  obliged  to  destroy  for  want 
of  the  funds  which  were  necessary  to  put  them  into  marble 
or  even  plaster  of  Paris :  and  it  was  owing  to  the  taste, 
judgment,  and  liberality  of  an  English  gentleman,  that  he 
was  at  last  enabled  to  execute  his  first  work  in  stone. 
In  his  work  shop  we  were  shown  a  basso  relievo  to  the 
memory  of  his  patron,  who  is  represented  supplying  the 
lamp  of  genius  with  oil.  He  sat  to.  me  for  his  portrait, 
which  records  his  mild  blue  eye,  his  kind  countenance,  and 
his  patriarchal  locks.* 

*  The  most  graceful  figure  by  this  artist  which  I  have  seen,  is  a  Fenus, 
in  fine  marble,  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Craig,  of  Philadelphia. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


169 


And  here,  again,  the  English  artists  are  conspicuous  for 
their  taste  and  skill;  and  the  beautiful  statues  of  Gibson, 
Wyat,  and  Gott,  gave  me  greater  pleasure  every  time  I  saw 
them.    The  studio  of  Campbell  was  not  open. 

Besides  those  who  may  be  considered  professors  in  the 
arts,  Rome  abounds  in  students  from  all  parts  of  the  world, 
to  the  number,  it  is  said,  of  three  hundred.  I  have  frequent- 
ed eating  houses,  where  they  assemble  in  great  force,  when 
the  close  of  day  puts  an  end  to  their  studies,  and  they  concur 
in  the  practice  of  dining  by  candle  light,  even  after  the  long 
days  of  summer.  It  was  amusing  to  hear  the  babel  of  tongues — 
the  merry  voices  of  the  French  rising  from  one  table;  the 
eager  contention  of  yellow  haired  Russians  bursting  from 
another;  the  sober  gutturals  of  the  patient,  investigating 
Germans,  mingling  from  a  third;  and  occasional  interjections, 
in  every  dialect,  enlivening  the  clatter  of  the  knives  and 
forks.  After  dinner,  a  neighbouring  cotFee-house,  called  the 
Cafe  Greco,  is  thronged  with  the  mixed  multitude  of  the 
sons  of  paint.  In  the  cloud  of  tobacco  smoke,  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  distinguish  the  whiskers,  mustachios,  and  chin  tufts 
of  your  acquaintance  from  those  of  strangers;  and  the  din  of 
voices,  that  had  been  reserved  all  day,  made  it  necessary  to 
bellow  into  the  ear  of  him  who  would  listen  to  you.  As  I 
found  that  neither  the  smoke  nor  noise  were  pleasant  to  my 
senses,  and  the  increasing  din  could  not  be  mistaken  for  con- 
versation, I  was  always  glad  to  escape  after  a  few  minutes' 
observation  of  the  scene. 

Charles  Bonaparte,  the  American  ornithologist,  here  bet- 
ter known  as  the  Prince  of  Musignano,  possesses  a  villa  near 
the  Porta  Pia,  enjoying  within  the  city  walls  the  advantages 
of  a  delightful  country  residence,  where  he  politely  receives 
his  American  friends.  He  showed  me  much  kindness,  and 
was  willing  to  render  me  more  service  than  my  leisure  and 
recluse  habits  permitted  me  to  enjoy.  Though  not  occupied  in 
any  particular  work,  he  gives  much  of  his  attention  to  natural 
history,  which  may  be  perceived  in  his  connexion  with  Profes- 

22 


170 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


sor  Riccioli,a  naturalist,  who  resided  with  him  in  America, 
and  who  now  lives  almost  packed  up  with  objects  of  curiosity, 
through  which  you  can  scarcely  find  him  in  one  corner  of  his 
room.  Natural  history  is  scarcely  known  amid  the  unnatu- 
ral histories  of  Rome,  and  therefore  the  professor  Riccioli 
is  an  oracle  in  his  way,  and  is  really  an  active,  intelligent, 
and  obliging  man. 

Preparations  for  celebrating  the  merry  carnival  were  com- 
menced shortly  after  my  arrival,  and  the  city  was  filled  with 
strangers,  who  had  come  chiefly  to  enjoy  it,  when  the  sad 
news  circulated  that  the  pope  was  not  expected  to  live,  and 
in  fact  he  died  after  a  few  days.  His  corpse  was  exposed  in 
state  in  the  Sistine  chapel,  where  multitudes  flocked  to  see 
it;  and  afterwards  in  a  chapel  at  St.  Peter's.  I  went  among 
the  crowd  and  witnessed  how  the  soles  of  his  slippers  were 
stained  with  the  kisses  of  the  devout  multitude  who  could 
approach  them,  by  protruding  their  mouths  through  the  bars 
of  the  grate. 

During  several  days  the  cardinals  performed  mass  at 
St.  Peter's,  on  account  of  the  late  pope;  and  crowds  of  peo- 
ple flocked  to  see  the  great  temporary  cenotaph,  erected  at 
an  expense  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars,  in  the  body  of  the  ca- 
thedral. It  was  composed  of  timber  work,  covered  with 
frames  of  painted  canvass,  in  imitation  of  granite,  forming  an 
immense  pyramidal  obelisk^  resting  on  a  square  base,  and 
elevated  on  a  flight  of  steps,  which  went  all  round — the 
whole  ornamented  with  statues,  bass  reliefs,  and  inscriptions. 
At  the  corners  rose  immense  candelabra,  or  pyramids  of  can- 
dles. When  mass  was  over,  it  was  amusing  to  see  the  man- 
ner of  extinguishing  the  lights  on  these  towering  candelabra; 
it  was  effected  by  a  man  seated  on  a  block,  through  which  a 
rope  passed  up  to  the  cornice  of  the  church  on  each  side, 
where  men  were  stationed  to  raise  or  lower  him  to  every 
part  of  the  candelabra,  and  ropes,  on  each  side,  were  held 
by  men  on  the  pavement  to  prevent  his  swinging.  At  first 
sight  he  appeared  to  be  flying  in  the  air. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


171 


Eight  days  after  the  death  of  the  pope,  a  great  crowd  of 
people  surrounded  the  Quirinal  palace  to  witness  the  cardi- 
nals enter  what  is  now  called  their  prison,  where  they  must 
remain,  until  they  shall  agree,  by  a  majority  of  two  thirds,  in 
the  election  of  one  of  their  own  number,  who  must  be  an 
Italian.  They  walked  from  a  neighbouring  church,  amidst  a 
throng  of  people,  who  were  kept  off  by  long  lines  of  soldiers, 
and  accompanied  by  a  military  band.  As  soon  as  they  had 
passed  in,  the  multitude  quietly  dispersed. 

Here  they  remained  thirty-four  days,  voting  ineffectually 
twice  a  day.  Their  provisions  were  sent  to  them  daily  in 
their  own  coaches,  and  introduced  by  means  of  a  revolving 
closet;  as  no  one  was  permitted  to  see  them,  except  through 
a  small  hole,  or  to  hold  any  private  intercourse  with  them, 
the  military  occupying  and  surrounding  the  premises.  A  sin- 
gular state  of  things  during  the  interregnum  of  pontifical 
despotism. 

At  length  the  looked-for  signal  was  given,  by  the  cardinals 
breaking  open  a  window  leading  to  the  balcony,  which  was 
walled  up.  Here  the  news  was  proclaimed  that  Pius  VIII. 
was  duly  elected,  and  confirmed  by  the  discharge  of  cannon. 
Although  it  rained  in  copious  showers,  there  was  soon  a 
countless  multitude  on  the  square  in  front  of  the  palace,  ex- 
hibiting the  most  compact  array,  arid  a  perfect  sea  of  swelling 
umbrellas. 

Next  day  the  pope  proceeded  to  St.  Peter's,  was  borne 
through  the  church  in  his  chair  of  state,  supported  on  men's 
shoulders,  and  deposited  at  the  grand  altar,  where  he  re- 
ceived the  humble  devotions  of  the  cardinals,  recently  his 
equals,  who  first  knelt  at  his  feet,  then  rose  and  were  em- 
braced in  tiresome  succession.  After  this  he  passed  out  by 
a  back  door  to  his  carriage  of  state,  rich  with  massive  gilt 
ornaments,  and  drawn  by  six  long-tailed  black  horses  in  gold 
harnesses,  caparisons,  and  trappings.  We  hastened  out  of 
the  church,  and  took  a  station  to  look  down  upon  the  pro- 
cession of  the  officers  of  church  and  state,  with  their  ban- 


172 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


ners  and  staves,  followed  by  the  pope;  who,  as  he  passes 
among  the  people,  is  continually  making  on  them  the  sign 
of  the  cross,  a  benefaction  which  he  bestows  in  return  for 
all  the  worldly  power  he  receives  from  them.  An  immense 
succession  of  cardinals,  in  rich  coaches,  each  with  two,  three, 
or  four  footmen  in  livery,  was  followed  by  a  company  of 
horse-guards. 

The  coronation  was  to  take  place  on  the  following  Sun- 
day morning,  and  at  an  early  hour  I  hastened  to  St  Peter's. 
A  close  double  line  of  soldiers  guarded  a  wide  passage  from 
the  grand  door  of  entrance  to  the  altar;  but  they  suffered  us, 
as  strangers,  to  pass  beneath  the  dome,  where  distinguished 
princes  and  ambassadors  were  provided  with  temporary  gal- 
leries. All  the  gold  lace,  ribands  and  stars  which  they  pos- 
sessed, were  called  into  requisition.  The  most  magnificent 
in  the  number  of  their  attendants  were  the  Grand  Duchess 
of  Russia,  and  the  French  ambassador,  Chateaubriand.  A 
band  of  music  indicated  the  approach  of  the  Pope;  who,  en- 
tering the  church,  seated  in  a  crimson  chair,  and  borne  on  the 
shoulders  of  men,  was  preceded  by  the  clergy.  After  at- 
tending a  mass  in  one  of  the  side  chapels,  his  escort  was  in- 
creased, candles  were  carried  before  him,  a  silk  canopy  was 
held  over  his  head,  and  a  showy  fan  of  feathers  waved  on 
each  side,  till  he  reached  the  grand  altar  under  the  dome, 
where  he  was  lowered  and  permitted  to  walk  to  his  throne. 
The  procession  of  cardinals  was  in  all  the  splendour  of  cloths, 
of  gold  and  silver,  velvet,  ermine  and  lace;  but  the  most  in- 
teresting, was  the  appearance  of  two  Greek  bishops,  in  their 
peculiar  and  magnificent  drapery.  At  the  elevation  of  the 
host,  the  vast  multitude,  whose  shuffling  feet  and  buzzing 
voices  pervaded  the  edifice,  were  in  a  moment  hushed,  and 
all  bent  or  rested  on  their  knees.  Four  trumpeters,  from 
a  balcony  over  the  front  door,  blew  a  soft  and  animated 
strain,  which,  through  the  extensive  vaults,  and  at  such  a 
distance,  sounded  as  soft  as  flutes  in  an  ordinary  room.  At 
the  close  of  the  mass,  I  hastened  out  to  the  front  of  the 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


173 


church,  where  a  countless  multitude  were  waiting  the  cere- 
mony of  coronation,  in  the  front  balcony.  As  soon  as  the 
tiara  was  placed  on  the  head  of  the  new  pope,  and  he  had 
given  his  benediction,  all  the  bells  of  the  church  began  to 
ring  at  once,  so  loud,  that  we  could  scarcely  hear  the  thunder 
of  the  neighbouring  cannons  of  St.  Angelo.  The  crowd  im- 
mediately dispersed  with  a  quietness  and  order  which  seems 
peculiar  to  Rome.  In  the  evening,  the  city  was  illuminated, 
which  was  repeated  the  two  following  evenings,  much  to 
the  enjoyment  of  the  young  part  of  the  population,  who  fro- 
licked around  bonfires  in  every  street,  procured  at  the  ex- 
pense of  many  wine  casks,  old  baskets  and  chairs,  and  bright 
blazing  reeds  and  grape  vines. 

A  sad  occasion  for  the  assemblage  of  the  few  Americans 
who  were  in  Rome,  occurred  to  cloud  the  cheerfulness  of 
spring  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Hone,  of  New  York.  It  is  not 
easy  to  express  the  loss  thus  sustained  by  his  relations  and 
friends,  nor  to  say  how  much  the  fine  arts  have  suffered  by 
the  early  death  of  one  whose  taste,  zeal,  and  liberality  were 
so  favourable  to  their  cultivation  in  America.  He  was  in- 
terred in  the  ground  allotted  for  strangers,  close  to  the  Py- 
ramid or  tomb  of  Caius  Cestus.  A  number  of  curious 
Italians  followed  the  unusual  procession  of  carriages,  to  wit- 
ness the  solemn  ceremony  as  performed  by  an  English  epis- 
copal clergyman;  during  which  they  respectfully  remained 
uncovered.  I  could  not  repress  a  most  melancholy  feeling  on 
finding  myself  in  the  midst  of  so  many  tombs,  bearing  in- 
scriptions in  all  the  languages  of  Europe,  over  the  remains  of 
many  amiable  and  distinguished  persons,  who  had  died  so  far 
from  their  homes. 

Every  traveller  speaks  of  the  miserere,  by  Allegri,  as  sung 
at  St.  Peter's  during  the  holy  week.  Not  being  able  to  crowd 
myself  into  the  Sistine  chapel,  I  placed  myself  in  the  chapel 
of  the  cathedral,  where  I  suffered  all  the  misery  of  hearing 
the  long  and  discordant  chanting  of  the  ordinary  vespers;  in 
which  all  the  choir  above,  and  the  sacerdotal  cannons  below, 


174 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


made  as  much  noise  as  they  could,  apparently  for  the  'exer- 
cise of  their  lungs ;  being  a  dreadful  combination  of  all  sorts 
of  tones  in  rapid  utterance  and  dismal  repetition.  At  length 
the  music  peculiar  to  the  day  commenced  by  a  solo,  uttered 
by  a  voice  which  I  mistook,  in  its  highest  notes,  for  that  of  a 
female,  till  I  perceived  his  station,  and  heard  him  descend  to 
the  ordinary  scale  of  the  male  voice.  Between  the  intervals 
of  the  chorus,  two  other  singers  successively  took  the  same 
station,  one  displaying  a  fine  manly  voice,  and  a  second  eu- 
nuch emulating  that  of  the  softer  sex,  less  clear  indeed,  but  very 
tender,  and  resembling  the  hautboy.  The  discordant  chant- 
ing was  then  resumed,  and  I  should  have  gone  away  disap- 
pointed, but  that  I  found  the  crowd  of  auditors  still  assem- 
bling and  overflowing  the  chapel  to  a  great  extent  outside  the 
door.  I,  therefore,  patiently  waited  till  it  was  nearly  dark  : 
two  great  candles  were  lighted  in  the  choir,  the  singers  took 
new  positions,  the  leader  waved  his  paper  scroll,  and  the 
feminine  voice  of  the  first  singer  commenced  a  pathetic 
strain;  the  choir  gradually  combining  their  varying  and  su- 
bordinate tones,  to  produce  the  most  affecting  and  delightful 
harmony  that  was  ever  heard  from  human  voices.  The  voice 
which  thus  resembled  a  female  one,  seemed  to  be  that  of  a 
penitent  Magdalen,  scarcely  breathed  at  first,  and  swelling,  as 
from  a  bursting  heart,  into  a  thrilling,  and  at  times  a  quiver- 
ing note  of  distress,  which  became  lost  in  the  midst  of  fellow 
lamentations  and  deeper  bursts  of  moaning,  through  which, 
from  time  to  time,  might  be  perceived  the  heart-moving  voice 
of  the  Magdalen,  again  to  be  lost  in  the  varying  sighs,  moans, 
and  convulsive  sobs  of  fellow  penitents.  It  is  impossible  to 
describe  the  effect  produced  by  this  wonderful  composition, 
as  sung  by  a  choir  who  take  especial  pains  and  pride  to  give 
it  the  utmost  perfection.  Tedious  as  it  was  to  endure  the 
chanting  of  fifteen  psalms,  noted  by  the  successive  extin- 
guishment of  fifteen  candles,  one  after  every  psalm ;  yet  the 
excellence  of  the  concluding  piece  was  a  full  indemnifica- 
tion. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


175 


For  several  days  we  had  noticed  an  increasing  number  of 
pilgrims,  who  arrive  from  all  parts  of  the  country  to  partici- 
pate in  the  celebration  of  the  holy  week.  They  are  distin- 
guished by  a  peculiar  dress ;  some  wearing  a  kind  of  gown 
and  sandals;  but,  in  general,  carrying  over  their  ordinary  dress 
an  oil  cloth  cape,  decorated  with  real  scallop  shells.  On 
some  of  the  young  men  these  were  arranged  with  much  taste. 
A  scrip  or  bag  hangs  on  one  side,  and  a  long  staff  with  a  ri- 
band at  the  top  is  carried  by  women  as  well  as  men.  We 
found  our  way  one  evening  to  the  Church  of  the  Pilgrims; 
which,  being  in  a  distant  and  unfrequented  part  of  the  city, 
does  not  seem  to  be  much  noticed  by  strangers;  we,  there- 
fore, enjoyed  a  convenient  opportunity  of  witnessing  a  sin- 
gular scene.  Contiguous  to  the  church  was  an  apartment  in 
which  the  feet  of  pilgrims,  just  arrived,  are  washed  by  hum- 
ble and  devout  persons,  who  are  all  dressed  in  coarse,  red, 
uniform  gowns.  Around  the  room  is  a  ledge,  from  which 
rises  a  seat  or  bench  against  the  walls.  Beneath  every  seat 
are  two  stop-cocks — one  for  letting  out  cold,  the  other  hot 
water,  into  a  small  tub.  The  pilgrims  were  at  this  time  in 
the  church ;  but,  on  coming  out,  they  were  placed  on  their 
elevated  seats,  and  after  the  signal  of  a  short  prayer,  one  of 
these  waiting  gentlemen  penitents  knelt  down  before  each  pil- 
grim, assisted  him  in  taking  off  his  dusty  shoes  and  stockings, 
then  washed  his  feet  in  the  warm  water,  and  wiped  them 
dry  with  a  towel.  Two  bishops  were  amongst  these  humble 
servers,  and  cardinals  and  princes  are  sometimes  seen  per- 
forming this  act  of  hospitality  and  humiliation.  The  Prin- 
cess Doria  has  been  seen  thus  employed  in  the  apartment  al- 
lotted to  female  pilgrims.  A  little  side  table,  however,  sup- 
plied with  slices  of  lemon,  clean  water,  and  towels,  enabled 
the  servers  to  cleanse  their  own  more  precious  hands  in  silver 
basins. 

From  this  room  the  pilgrims  proceeded  into  the  dining- 
room,  a  hall  of  great  length,  containing  tables  and  seats  for 
two  hundred  persons.    Before  each  pilgrim  stood  a  mug  of 


176 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


wine  and  a  drinking  cup,  with  abundance  of  bread,  two  ap- 
ples, a  handful  of  figs,  and  a  plate  of  lettuce.  All  being 
seated,  every  pilgrim  was  served  with  a  plate  of  hot  maca- 
roni soup,  and  another  of  dressed  boiled  meat.  After  grace 
was  said  by  a  priest,  the  pilgrims  in  good  earnest  began  to 
eat;  whilst  the  middle  of  the  hall,  separated  from  them  by  a 
hand  rail,  was  filled  with  lookers  on  like  myself,  and  a  cler- 
gyman from  a  little  balcony  read  aloud  a  short  discourse 
upon  the  nature  of  the  institution  and  its  utility.  The  self- 
appointed  waiters,  served  with  the  greatest  assiduity  and 
attention.  I  walked  round  to  look  at  the  countenances  of 
these  peasants,  assembled  from  various  districts,  and  could 
perceive  in  their  low  narrow  foreheads,  small  noses,  large 
mouths,  and  strong  jaws,  but  slight  marks  of  human  intel- 
ligence; yet  among  them  there  were  a  few  good  looking 
respectable  men. 

Each  pilgrim  at  table  was  presented  with  a  copper  tic- 
ket, which  entitled  him  to  a  bed;  and  I  am  told  the  esta- 
blishment can  accommodate  five  thousand.  They  are  still 
flocking  into  the  city,  and  proceeding  in  groups  to  their 
caravansera.  The  walls  of  this  hall  are  covered  with  large 
tablets,  engraved  with  the  names  of  all  the  benefactors  to 
the  institution;  some  having  given  five  hundred  dollars,  or 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  some  a  house,  others  two  and 
three  houses,  or  part  of  a  house.  Another  hall  was  filled 
with  busts  of  benefactors  and  monumental  inscriptions.  In 
ranging  through  these  extensive  halls,  we  got  into  a  room 
lined  with  shelves  and  filled  with  plates,  into  which  room 
a  great  copper  kettle  is  brought,  whose  contents  are  here 
portioned  out  and  delivered  to  the  waiters  at  a  door  mid- 
way in  the  hall.  The  kitchen  is  remarkably  neat  and  clean, 
with  immense  copper  boilers. 

I  did  not  go  to  the  Sistine  and  Pauline  chapels  to  see  the 
ceremony  of  the  removal  of  the  sacrament  by  the  pope, 
but  I  afterwards  went  to  the  Pauline  chapel,  which,  on  that 
occasion  was  illuminated  in  the  most  extraordinary  man- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY.  177 

ner;  appearing,  as  you  entered  it,  to  be  avast  and  magnifi- 
cent grotto,  and  lighted  by  thousands  of  wax  candles,  in 
the  most  tasteful,  varied,  and  beautiful  manner,  up  to  the 
ceiling  and  within  the  dome.  On  first  entering,  the  glare 
of  light  and  atmosphere  of  smoke  only  permitted  the  ge- 
neral form  of  the  room  to  be  seen,  which  resembled  the 
arches,  recesses,  and  ledges  of  a  grotto;  but,  after  a  few 
minutes,  you  might  perceive  the  architectural  forms,  and, 
finally,  the  gilt  ornaments  and  paintings  on  the  walls,  and 
the  statues  in  the  corners,  each,  with  outstretched  arms, 
bearing  a  lighted  torch  or  candle.  These  are  the  ceremo- 
nies which  have  nearly  destroyed  the  paintings  by  Michael 
Angelo,  and  many  of  the  good  altar-pieces  by  the  old  mas- 
ters. The  mosaics  of  St.  Peter's  will  for  ever  be  free  from 
this  objection — as  they  can  be  washed  and  renovated  with 
soap-suds. 

Although  a  number  of  Jews  and  Turks  are  occasionally 
converted  to  the  Catholic  faith,  as  lately  a  whole  family  of  the 
former,  yet  it  is  customary  to  select  two  for  the  ceremonies 
of  the  Saturday  before  Easter.  Having  obtained  admittance 
into  the  baptistery  of  St.  John,  where  the  soldiers  who  guard 
the  doors  permitted  very  few  but  strangers  to  enter,  I  found 
it  difficult  to  see  much  of  the  ceremonies  by  reason  of  the 
crowd  that  surrounded  the  Octagonal  balustrade,  within 
which  stands  the  great  baptismal  font,  an  antique  Urn  of 
Basalt.  As  I  waited  the  arrival  of  the  converts  and  dig- 
nitaries of  the  church,  I  contemplated  the  venerable  an- 
tique columns  which  support  a  fantastic  roof;  and  viewed 
the  faded  frescos  of  Andrea  Sacchi  and  Carlo  Maratti,  and 
the  indifferent  battle-pieces  which  have  been  irreverently 
painted  here.  The  ceiling  is  rich  with  golden  ornaments. 
The  font  and  balustrade  around  it,  as  well  as  the  varie- 
gated marble  floor,  were  covered  with  flowers.  A  cardinal 
bishop  officiated  at  the  baptism,  assisted  by  a  number  of 
other  ecclesiastics.  The  converts  were  dressed  in  white 
silk  gowns,  and  bore  the  tedious  ceremony  with  great  pa- 

23 


178 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


tience.  From  the  baptistery  they  proceeded  to  the  basilica 
of  St.  John,  where  countless  ceremonies  were  performed, 
in  the  changes  of  dresses,  prostrations,  and  chanting,  which 
became  so  tiresome  that  I  was  glad  to  escape  out  of  the 
crowd,  and  still  better  pleased  to  get  into  the  Corsini  chapel, 
there  to  gaze  upon  its  lovely  children  of  unspotted  marble. 

About  noon,  the  bells,  which  had  been  totally  silent 
throughout  all  Rome,  began  at  once  to  ring,  and  the  cannons 
to  thunder  from  St.  Angelo.  In  my  way  homewards  I  found 
the  children  in  all  quarters  firing  off  little  cannons.  This 
firing  away  the  Lent  resembles  the  firing  away  the  old  year 
with  us. 

Having  already  seen  the  pope  and  cardinals  in  grand  cos- 
tume in  the  first  procession,  and  at  the  coronation,  I  did 
not  covet  the  fatigue  of  standing  again  for  several  hours  in 
the  cathedral,  for  all  the  pleasure  which  their  clothes  of 
gold  and  silver,  and  all  the  formalities  of  their  processions 
could  afford.  I,  therefore,  hired  a  chair  in  a  window  of  one 
of  the  galleries,  where  I  amused  myself  in  viewing  the 
multitude,  especially  the  peasants  and  pilgrims.  Among 
the  latter,  it  was  curious  to  see  the  women,  with  coarse 
woollen  petticoats,  and  shifts  with  sleeves  to  their  wrists, 
carrying  on  their  heads  each  a  coarse  bag  containing  changes 
and  provisions.  Dozens  of  these  together,  conscious  of 
equal  right,  would  saunter  into  the  magnificent  temple.  The 
peasant  girls  were  decked  out  in  a  profusion  of  gay  ribands, 
green  velvet,  and  red  flannel,  and  with  white  linen  on  their 
heads. 

When  the  pope  appeared  in  the  balcony,  borne  in  his 
chair  of  state,  these  peasants  dropped  on  their  knees,  and 
remained  so  till  the  blessing  was  given;  but  a  very  small 
proportion  of  the  vast  multitude  did  the  same.  After  hours 
of  tiresome  waiting,  in  the  piazza,  balcony,  and  window, 
on  foot  and  in  coach,  many  persons  paying  high  prices  for 
seats,  the  ceremony  of  blessing  the  people,  described  as  so 
very  impressive,  was  at  length  performed,  and  in  one  minute 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


179 


was  over.  I  could  just  perceive  that  hats  were  taken  off, 
the  soldiery  and  some  others  dropped  on  one  knee  and  rose 
again,  and  the  crowd  began  to  disperse.  Two  cardinals  re- 
mained in  the  balcony,  and,  after  reading  two  written  pa- 
pers, threw  them  down  for  an  amusing  scramble  amongst 
the  rabble  below. 

Scarcely  was  it  dark  when  I  found  the  whole  dome,  and 
the  principal  features  of  the  cathedral  most  beautifully  illu- 
minated, even  to  the  top  of  the  cross.  We  took  our  stations 
at  the  bottom  of  the  piazza,  so  as  to  command  the  perspec- 
tive of  the  colonnade,  and  the  front.  An  immense  concourse 
of  people  from  all  parts  of  the  city  filled  the  place  and  neigh- 
bouring houses.  I  had  been  prepared  to  expect  a  sudden  and 
additional  illumination ;  and,  in  fact,  had  just  time  to  glance 
over  and  admire  the  tasteful  arrangement  of  the  lights,  when 
the  whole  edifice  appeared  to  burst  out  into  flowers  of  flame. 
In  one  quarter  of  a  minute  a  new  set  of  lights,  blazing  in  me- 
tal pans  each  a  foot  in  diameter,  by  their  superior  brightness, 
rendered  the  former  lights  nearly  invisible.  It  was  the  most 
brilliant  and  extraordinary  illumination  perhaps  ever  seen, 
accomplished  by  means  of  four  thousand  four  hundred  of  the 
lesser,  and  eight  hundred  of  the  greater  lights ;  and,  yet,  but 
a  few  minutes  were  sufficient  to  see  it,  and  the  multitude 
moved  off,  to  view  it  at  a  greater  distance.  Even  at  mid- 
night the  magic  dome  was  still  in  full  splendour,  visible  to  all 
the  country  around. 

The  fire-works  at  the  castle  of  St.  Angelo,  which  common- 
ly are  shown  on  Easter  Sunday,  were  deferred  till  Monday 
evening;  and,  in  honour  of  the  arch  duchess  of  Russia,  were 
more  costly  than  usual:  the  price  of  the  materials  amount- 
ing, I  am  told,  to  fifteen  hundred  dollars,  and  being  made 
by  the  soldiery  in  the  castle.  I  was  fortunate  in  procuring  a 
seat  on  a  small  building  close  to  the  bridge  and  river,  in  front 
of  the  castle,  where  an  hour's  waiting  was  rendered  amusing 
by  looking  down  upon  the  great  but  orderly  crowd  that  was 
still  pressing  from  all  parts,  and  occasionally  compelled  to 


180 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


open  a  passage  for  coaches  that  were  carrying  company  to 
the  neighbouring  houses,  of  which  every  window  was  rented 
out.  Directly  opposite  us  was  a  rich  suite  of  rooms,  and  bal- 
cony decked  with  crimson  velvet  and  gold,  prepared  for  the 
grand  duchess.  A  band  of  military  music  was  stationed  in 
front  of  the  house,  of  whose  performance  we  shared  the  be- 
nefit. At  nine  o'clock,  cannon  announced  the  commence- 
ment. Immediately  an  irruption  of  rockets  drew  the  atten- 
tion of  all,  and  in  an  instant  the  whole  front  of  the  building 
was  illuminated  by  white  lights  in  the  most  tasteful  forms, 
crowned  with  the  cross-keys  and  papal  tiara.  Rockets,  that 
burst  into  numberless  white  falling  stars,  were  continually 
rising  from  different  places.  A  variety  of  revolving  wheels, 
and  floods  of  hissing  snakes,  and  streams  of  white  ball  rock- 
ets, succeeded;  occasionally  a  large  one  rose,  and,  as  it 
burst,  its  noise  was  augmented  by  the  well-timed  discharge  of 
a  cannon  from  the  ramparts.  Mock  musketry,  from  various 
parts  of  the  battlements,  resembled  an  actual  engagement,  in- 
termingled with  the  deep  roar  of  the  real  cannon.  Cones  or 
fountains  of  fiery  sparks  spread  on  all  sides,  and  produced 
volumes  of  smoke,  which  became  variously  illuminated,  co- 
vering and  hiding  the  whole  castle,  whilst  the  most  beautiful 
effect  was  produced  that  could  be  imagined.  Those  bright 
rockets,  or  rather  slow  moving  globes  of  light,  now  were  seen 
bursting  through  the  clouds;  being  directed  from  the  back  of 
the  castle,  and,  breaking  into  innumerable  stars  of  the  purest 
brightness,  fell  in  front.  The  whole  concluded  by  a  tremendous 
and  surpassing  irruption  of  rockets  from  the  centre,  front,  and 
sides  of  the  castle,  with  the  sound  of  cannon  from  every  ram- 
part. It  lasted  about  half  an  hour,  and  certainly  by  its  variety, 
extent,  and  skilful  arrangement,  together  with  the  advantage 
of  situation,  the  splendour  and  grandeur  of  the  spectacle  were 
beyond  what  even  the  imagination  could  have  conceived,  and 
perhaps  have  never  surpassed  by  any  similar  attempt. 

It  was  not  till  the  latter  end  of  April  that  spring  was  fairly 
confirmed.    Its  approach  has  been  more  gradual  than  any  1 


NOTES  ON  ITALY.  181 

»  -.      1       •  .  ■  •  -i. 

have  ever  experienced.  Though  there  has  been  ho  frost 
since  the  middle  of  the  winter,  it  is  only  now  that  the  forest 
trees  are  in  leaf,  and  the  country  begins  to  invite  the  land- 
scape painter  to  the  neighbouring  mountains,  with  his  paint 
box  and  white  linen  umbrella  swung  on  his  back,  and  his  fold- 
ed stool  and  umbrella-staff  in  his  hand.  The  nights  have 
been  cool,  and  still  in  the  morning  you  may  remark  the  wo- 
men in  the  streets  going  about  with  little  earthen  fire  pots. 
Now,  the  streets  are  daily  becoming  more  populous,  with 
whole  families  sitting  at  work  in  front  of  their  doors,  thus  en- 
joying light,  air,  and  social  intercourse,  and  a  release  from 
the  confinement  of  their  dark,  dirty,  and  crowded  shops. 
The  warm  sun  has  brought  out  of  their  retreats  great  num- 
bers of  lizards,  which  steal  across  your  path,  or  dart  into  the 
crevices  of  old  walls.  The  rose  bushes  are  in  full  bloom, 
but  have  scarcely  any  odour ;  the  fields  are  bright  with  but- 
ter-cups, which  resemble  those  in  America,  and  have  a  slight 
agreeable  perfume;  but  the  woods  sparingly  produce  a  deli- 
cate, and  scarcely  perceptible  violet  of  high  odour,  which  is 
eagerly  collected  into  bouquets,  and  offered  for  sale  by  chil- 
dren in  the  streets;  who  shortly  afterwards  assail  you  in  all 
quarters  with  the  powerful  odour  of  an  ill-looking,  leafless 
water  tulip.  The  Pope's  Garden,  into  which  you  look  from 
the  public  gallery  of  statues,  is  gay  with  flowers  of  every  co- 
lour. Green  peas  are  becoming  common,  though  they  were 
to  be  had  all  the  winter,  as  gardening  was  carried  on,  with- 
out any  interruption,  under  the  protection  of  white  walls, 
during  the  little  cold  weather  that  froze  the  water,  but  not 
the  soil  to  any  depth. 

In  the  latter  part  of  May  the  Pope  was  to  make  his  grand 
procession  from  the  Quirinal  Palace  to  the  church  of  St. 
John  Lateran.  It  was  Sunday,  and  the  crowd  of  people  as- 
sembled in  front  of  the  palace,  and  in  all  the  neighbouring 
streets  was  immense.  In  the  streets  through  which  he  was 
to  pass,  every  window  was  filled  with  spectators,  and  orna- 
mented with  crimson  or  yellow  damask  hangings,  some  with 


\ 


182  NOTES  ON  ITALY. 

canopies  richly  ornamented,  besides  a  display  of  much  old 
tapestry  and  faded  silk  bed-quilts,  the  whole  giving  to  the 
houses  the  gayest  appearance.  Thousands  of  chairs  and 
benches,  on  hire,  were  ranged  on  both  sides  of  the  streets, 
and  occupied  by  people  collected  from  every  quarter  of 
Rome — all  in  their  gayest  attire  and  happiest  countenances, 
and  affording  a  fine  opportunity  of  examining  the  variety  of 
character,  complexion,  and  costume.  The  streets  were  filled 
with  a  moving  throng,  pressing  on  towards  St.  John's,  till 
their  ranks  were  opened  by  the  advanced  guard  of  the  Pope, 
who  followed  in  a  new  and  splendid  coach,  of  great  size,  and 
as  rich  as  carving  and  gold  could  make  it,  and  which  was  thus 
exhibited  for  the  first  time.  It  is  said  to  have  cost  twenty 
thousand  dollars.  His  whole  passage  was  greeted  with  cries 
of  "  Viva  il  papa"  and  the  waving  of  handkerchiefs,  a  part 
of  the  people  dropping  on  their  knees. 

Hastening  in  advance,  I  took  a  station  in  the  church  near 
the  great  altar,  where  I  could  see  the  aged  cardinals  enter 
and  take  their  seats,  dressed  in  their  richest  clothes  of  silver 
and  gold,  preceding  the  Pope,  whose  canopy  of  cloth  of  sil- 
ver, trimmed  with  gold,  and  borne  by  eight  men  in  crimson 
silk  damask  robes,  was  the  signal  for  all  to  fall  on  their  knees 
that  could,  or  were  willing.  On  this  occasion,  the  church 
was  most  extensively  decorated.  All  the  columns  and  pilas- 
ters were  covered  with  crimson  damask,  and  the  arches  hung 
with  festoons  of  crimson,  white,  and  gold,  in  accordance  with 
the  princely  dignity  of  the  ecclesiastical  chief  magistrate, 
and  sovereign  pontiff  of  absolute  power.  Stooping  in  the 
meek  and  humble  posture  which  is  recorded  in  all  the  por- 
traits of  the  popes,  he  proudly  moves  amid  an  escort  of  sol- 
diers, from  the  palace  to  the  church;  where,  from  the  great 
door,  which  is  never  opened  but  for  him  to  enter,  raised 
above  all,  and  under  his  sacred  canopy,  he  advances  between 
his  ranks  of  soldiers,  whose  muskets  glitter  in  the  church, 
up  to  the  altar  which  is  crowded  with  priests  and  surrounded 
still  with  soldiers. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


183 


Such  is  the  orthodox  compound  of  spirit  and  matter,  di- 
vine power  and  mortal  purpose.  During  the  dull  chant  of 
the  church  service,  I  went  out  amongst  the  multitude  as- 
sembled on  the  piazza  in  front  of  the  church,  and  waiting 
for  the  benediction.  The  balcony  over  the  great  door  was 
sumptuously  decorated  with  crimson  and  gold;  and  an  im- 
mense awning  of  sail  cloth,  from  the  cornice  of  the  edifice, 
was  extended  by  means  of  ropes  reaching  to  poles  erected 
at  a  great  distance.  A  great  display  of  military,  exclusively 
occupied  the  centre. 

The  Pope  soon  appeared,  borne  high  under  his  canopy, 
and  as  usual  attended  by  his  great  fans.  When  he  rose  to 
give  his  benediction,  the  vast  multitude  knelt,  spontaneously. 
His  pure  white  dress  of  silver  cloth,  his  outstretched  arms, 
first  slowly  raised  to  heaven,  and  then  extended  over  his  peo- 
ple, this  time  certainly  constituted  an  impressive  scene.  The 
cannon,  which  was  stationed  near,  echoed  by  those  at  the 
castle  of  St.  Angelo,  completed  the  ceremony  by  their  re- 
joicing roar.  The  carriages,  the  crowd,  the  military  corps, 
made  it  difficult  to  get  away  from  the  spot.  But  it  was  a 
quiet,  good-natured  Roman  crowd,  slowly  returning  to  their 
homes,  and  I  was  contented  to  move  slowly  with  them.  As 
we  approached  the  Colosseum,  dimly  seen  in  the  misty  twi- 
light, its  immense  magnitude  was  more  impressive  than  I  had 
ever  witnessed.  When  we  reached  the  centre  of  the  city, 
it  was  quite  dark,  and  accident  favoured  us  with  a  concluding 
sight  of  the  Pope,  coming  from  the  Quirinal  to  the  Vatican 
in  his  private  carriage,  escorted  by  his  guard  and  horsemen, 
bearing  great  flaming  torches  in  advance  and  aside,  amid  the 
renewed  cries  of  "  Long  live  the  Pope." 

From  the  descriptions  which  are  always  given  of  the  cam- 
pagna  surrounding  Rome,  as  being  desolate,  uncultivated  and 
unhealthy,  I  was  quite  surprised  to  find  the  road  to  Tivoli 
winding  through  a  country  almost  entirely  cultivated,  though 
not  embellished  with  many  trees,  and  but  few  houses.  And 
though  level  in  comparison  with  the  hills  of  Rome,  and  the 


184 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


mountains  of  Tivoli,  yet  it  was  a  continual  undulation  of  hill 
and  hollow;  the  road  frequently  passing  between  steep  banks 
and  crossing  streams  of  water.  One  of  these  is  a  canal  con- 
ducting a  rapid  torrent  from  the  sulphureous  lake  of  Tarta- 
rus, which  filled  the  air  with  a  strong  stench.  About  twelve 
miles  from  Rome,  we  entered  a  plantation  of  olives,  which 
continued  as  we  ascended  the  mountain,  where  they  were 
of  great  size  and  of  antiquity  beyond  record.  No  one  who 
has  not  seen  these  aged  trees  can  imagine  their  singular  and 
fantastic  shapes,  their  trunks  frequently  resembling  rocks, 
with  arches  and  numerous  perforations;  sometimes,  in  sha- 
dowy places,  with  but  little  assistance  from  the  imagination, 
they  resemble  strange  animals  and  human  figures  in  terrific  or 
fantastic  attitudes,  twisted  and  turned  in  every  possible  shape, 
and  yet  their  upper  branches. are  solid,  verdant,  and  prolific. 

The  entrance  to  Tivoli  is  embellished  with  a  large  monas- 
tery, but  the  town  itself,  with  tortuous,  hilly,  and  narrow 
streets,  is  an  assemblage  of  the  oldest  and  ugliest  houses  that 
could  be  piled  together;  subdivided,  from  generation  to  gene- 
ration, into  the  smallest  portions  that  can  be  inhabited  by  a 
swarming  population;  which,  as  we  passed,  lined  the  streets, 
or,  as  they  may  more  properly  be  called,  the  mule  paths. 

Stopping  at  the  inn  of  the  Sibyls,  usually  resorted  to  by 
artists,  and  where  there  were  already  several,  we  hastened  to 
a  small  terrace  which  forms  its  little  court  yard,  and  bears  on 
its  precipitous  edge  the  famous  square  fragment  of  the  Tem- 
ple of  the  Sibyl,  and  the  circular  Temple  of  Vesta, 
which  is  a  beautiful  specimen  of  ancient  art,  and  a  pleasing 
and  important  object  in  the  views  which  are  taken  from  the 
neighbouring  points.  From  the  terrace  you  look  down  on 
wild  and  broken  rocks  and  foaming  streams  of  water,  whose 
unceasing  noise  is  the  evening  lullaby  of  the  artists  who 
sleep  at  this  inn. 

From  a  neighbouring  garden  an  admirable  pathway  has 
been  constructed  down  the  precipices,  towards  the  falls,  and 
to  the  Grotto  of  Neptune^  through  which  you  may  view 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


185 


the  external  cascades,  whilst  a  wild  and  roaring  torrent  falls 
into  the  dark  recesses  of  the  Cavern  of  Neptune,  and  rushes 
out  to  unite  with  the  other  torrents.  The  fantastic  shapes 
of  the  rocks  and  caverns,  the  uproar  of  the  foaming  waters, 
and  the  brilliancy  of  the  green  foliage,  constantly  wet  with 
spray,  render  it  a  most  extraordinary  scene.  The  rocks 
are  curled  into  every  shape,  being  all  formed  by  deposite 
from  the  petrifying  quality  of  the  waters,  and  are  perfo- 
rated with  numerous  cavernous  openings.  The  visiter  is 
surprised  to  see  a  door-way  and  pigeon  holes,  wrought  in  the 
wall  of  the  perpendicular  rock,  at  an  immense  height,  ap- 
parently inaccessible. 

Reascending  and  passing  through  part  of  the  town,  we 
descended  to  the  Anio,  whose  water  supplies  these  cataracts, 
and  a  still  greater  number  at  the  opposite  edge  of  the  town. 
Two  or  three  years  ago,  about  twenty  houses  were  under- 
mined by  the  waters  and  fell  into  the  abyss,  together  with 
an  old  picturesque  bridge,  whose  abutments  remain  a  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  present  stream  to  excite  a  regret  for  the 
total  disappearance  of  what  used  to  be  called  the  great  falls. 
The  stream  now  flows  quietly  over  a  new  dam,  across  which 
a  low  safe  bridge  passes,  and  above,  the  green  water  of 
the  Jlnio  forms  a  beautiful  winding  lake,  skirted  with  ver- 
dant mountains.  Crossing  the  bridge,  a  long  winding  road, 
called  the  circular  terrace,  conducts  the  visiter  round  the 
rocky  valley,  into  which  the  cascades  fall,  and  appear  from 
several  points  in  varying  and  increasing  beauty,  until  the 
whole  side  of  the  mountain  is  seen  streaming  with  the  foam- 
ing rivulets,  and  the  atmosphere  above  them  whitened  with 
the  vapour  which  rises  from  them ;  these  are  the  famous 
Cascatelles  of  Tivolii  The  brow  of  the  mountain  is  crowned 
with  the  Temple  of  Vesta,  the  town  of  Tivoli,  and  the 
Villa  of  Maecenas;  the  river  having  passed  through  its 
rocky  labyrinths,  winds  in  the  gravelly  bottom,  and  the  long 
line  of  the  Campagna  and  Rome  itself  are  in  the  distance — 
while  the  fore-ground  is  diversified  with  groves  of  pale  olives, 

24 


186 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


the  bright  green  of  luxuriant  vines,  and  herbage  brilliant  with 
flowers,  of  yellow,  red  and  purple. 

To  witness  this  delightful  scenery,  our  guide,  a  sturdy, 
sunburnt,  bare  headed  little  boy,  conducted  us  down  rugged 
hills,  through  grass  and  bushes  wet  by  a  recent  rain,  to  situ- 
ations distinguished  by  the  sketches  of  artists;  but  the  beau- 
ty of  the  landscape  was  a  sufficient  compensation  for  wet 
and  fatigue.  We  continued  our  circuit  through  groves  of 
ancient  olives,  and  passed  the  scarcely  visible  sites  of  seve- 
ral villas  of  ancient  Roman  heroes,  crossed  a  repaired  rem- 
nant of  one  of  their  own  bridges,  and  ascended  a  paved 
road  to  the  Villa  of  Maecenas.  This  immense  palace  sur- 
rounded three  sides  of  a  great  court,  all  in  ruins,  except  one 
side  which  has  been  preserved — once  the  splendid  halls  of 
the  courtly  patron  of  the  arts,  but  now  the  blackened  resi- 
dence of  iron  founders,  who  have  introduced  torrents  of 
water  through  the  rooms  and  corridors,  which,  after  serving 
their  purposes,  pour,  from  a  window  at  an  immense  height, 
foaming  into  the  valley  below.  We  were  conducted  by  a 
smoky-faced  forgeman  up  the  great  staircase,  through  ancient 
galleries,  and  over  floodgates  in  the  upper  chambers,  to  the 
ample  terrace  of  the  roof  which  has  been  kept  in  repair. 
From  this  there  is  a  delightful  view  of  the  neighbouring 
country  and  of  distant  Rome. 

Still  rising  into  the  town  of  Tivoli,  we  entered  the  gate 
which  leads  to  the  Villa  of  Cardinal  d'JEste — now  desert- 
ed and  falling  into  decay,  with  all  its  princely  magnificence  of 
fountains,  walks,  terraces,  grottos,  and  groves.  It  is  the  pro- 
perty of  some  foreign  prince,  but  the  gardener  did  not  find 
it  necessary  to  know  whom. 

Tivoli,  which,  according  to  antiquarians,  was  founded  five 
hundred  years  before  Rome  itself,  preserves  its  ancient  style 
of  building,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  of  modern  erection; 
so  that  the  visiter  may  here  see  shops  still  in  use,  fashioned 
exactly  like  those  of  Pompeii.  I  rambled  through  the  town, 
which,  though  built  on  the  ragged  summit  of  a  hill,  is  sur- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY.  187 

rounded  by  hills  still  higher;  but  saw  nothing  to  admire  in 
its  mule  path  streets,  winding  up  and  down,  but  swarms  of 
children,  men  and  women,  ragged  and  dirty,  lounging  about 
in  extraordinary  idleness;  which  excites  a  wonder  how  they 
come  there,  and  how  they  can  subsist.  But  nearly  all  classes 
mingle  begging  with  their  regular  occupations,  if  they  have 
any;  and  as  Tivoli  is  so  much  visited  by  strangers,  the  inha- 
bitants have  the  habit,  not  only  in  the  streets,  but  in  the 
stores,  not  only  in  rags  and  on  foot,  but  well  dressed  and 
riding  on  asses,  of  addressing  every  visiter  with  the  regular 
salutation  of  "  Date  mi  qualche  casa"  give  me  something. 
I  met  with  a  pleasant  artist  who  has  travelled  much  about 
this  neighbourhood,  who  good  naturedly  says,  that  it  is  not 
from  want  that  they  beg,  but  that  they  love  to  enjoy  the 
agreeable  emotion  which  results  from  receiving  something  to 
indicate  a  fellow  feeling  in  the  bosom  of  the  traveller. 

Having  the  convenience  of  a  landscape  painter's  travelling 
apparatus,  I  descended  with  some  difficulty  the  steep  side  of 
the  mountain,  holding  on  to  clusters  of  rushes,  till  I  found 
among  the  rocks  and  bushes,  on  the  precipice  below,  a  mule 
path,  leading  to  a  small  cultivated  spot,  whence  I  could  com- 
mand a  fine  view  of  the  Cascatelles,  which  tumbled  from  the 
opposite  mountain  to  a  midway  projection,  green  with  eter- 
nal showers  of  spray,  and  thence  fell  foaming  deep  among  the 
brown  rocks  below.  Seated  on  my  three  legged  stool,  the 
paint  box  in  my  lap,  I  hastened  to  record  in  colours  the  scene 
of  enchantment  before  me ;  Whilst  the  little  bare-headed  vil- 
lage boy,  with  my  umbrella,  kept  off  the  bright  and  burning 
rays  of  the  sun,  and,  occasionally,  the  spray  from  the  falls. 
I  was  amused  to  hear  this  spray  called  polvere  del  acqua,  or 
dust  of  the  water.  In  America  such  cultivated  spots  would 
have  had  their  inhabitants,  in  whose  huts  the  artist  might  seek 
some  occasional  refreshment,  or  leave  his  materials  till  the 
next  day,  or  during  a  shower.  Old  as  the  country  is,  it  is 
otherwise  here.  The  olive  trees  which  are  cultivated  on  the 
hills,  and  the  grain  that  is  made  to  grow  on  the  level  spots, 


188 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


are  tended  by  labourers  who  live  in  the  town,  and  who  ne- 
cessarily waste  much  time  in  going  and  returning.  Artists, 
therefore,  who  study  in  these  solitudes  suffer  many  inconve- 
niencies.  I  painted  another  view  of  the  falls,  near  the  Tem- 
ple of  Vesta,  from  a  little  spot  on  the  point  of  a  precipice, 
among  bushes  trodden  down  by  many  an  artist  before  me ; 
for  they  are  constantly  coming  here,  of  all  nations,  to  study 
the  luxuriant  scenery  of  the  winding  valley,  into  which  the 
Jlnio  falls.  The  walls  of  my  bed-room  were  inscribed  with 
columns  of  their  signatures,  and  exclamations  of  delight  at  the 
charms  of  Tivolu 

Four  days  were  spent  here  with  increasing  admiration  of 
the  natural  scenery,  and  undiminished  disgust  at  the  filth  of 
the  town;  but,  though  fatigued  by  the  day's  excursions,  I  was 
unable  to  sleep  during  half  the  night  from  the  leeching  de- 
predations of  beggarly  fleas.  I  had  heard  much  of  the  beau- 
tiful costume  of  the  peasantry,  but  saw  little  to  admire.  The 
observation  may  be  true,  applied  to  villages  farther  in  the 
mountains;  but  in  Tivoli  all  the  senses  are  offended,  and  I 
was  glad  to  get  to  Rome  for  one  night's  sound  sleep.  I  re- 
entered the  gate  of  San  Lorenzo,  with  my  paint  box  and 
some  change  of  clothes,  which  might  have  been  taken  unmo- 
lested in  a  handkerchief,  bag,  or  box;  but  from  the  fact  of 
their  being  in  a  trunk,  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  execute  a 
formal  statement  and  record,  for  which  1  had  to  pay,  besides 
suffering  the  delay.  With  this  paper  a  soldier  accompanied 
me  to  the  custom-house,  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  instead  of 
permitting  the  carriage  to  be  driven  to  my  lodgings  at  the 
Porta  del  popolo.  The  custom-house  officer,  however,  made 
a  polite  examination,  received  his  expected  douceur,  and  I 
was  permitted  to  go  home  with  my  little  trunk.  These  are 
some  of  the  inconveniencies  which  an  American  sensibly  feels 
out  of  his  own  country,  where  there  is  such  entire  liberty  of 
locomotion. 

In  the  early  part  of  June,  great  baskets  of  the  coccoons  of 
silk  worms  were  to  be  seen  in  every  street,  where  they  were 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


139 


cleaned,  washed,  and  dried;  whilst  the  women  and  girls  were 
reeling  it  off,  both  in  the  streets  and  shops. 

In  a  warm  moonlight  evening  I  took  . occasion,  according  to 
custom,  to  visit  the  Colosseum.  Besides  various  parties  of 
pedestrians  we  found  eight  carriage  loads  of  company,  some 
of  whom  were  curiously  exploring  the  corridors  and  arches 
with  torches.  The  dim  light  of  the  moon,  which  only  exhi- 
bits the  great  architectural  masses  without  the  minute  details 
that  during  broad  daylight  disturb  the  attention,  produces  its 
effect,  by  merely  permitting '  the  spectator  to  be  fully  im- 
pressed with  the  simple  perceptions  of  bulk  and  proportion. 
A  similar  effect  is  produced  by  a  fog  or  mist ;  and,  in  a  de- 
gree, by  the  device  employed  by  artists  of  looking  with  one 
eye  nearly  closed. 

An  American,  at  home,  has  little  opportunity  of  seeing  the 
human  physiognomy  in  its  original  state.  The  savages,  from 
one  end  of  our  continent  to  the  other,  pluck  out  their  beards, 
until  they  entirely  eradicate  every  symptom  of  what  they 
consider  deformity  to  the  human  countenance.  Whiskers  and 
mustachios,  however,  are  not  unknown  in  the  United  States, 
and  the  beards  of  the  Dunkers  or  Shaking  Quakers  are  occa- 
sionally seen.  But  here,  in  Rome,  every  size,  colour,  and  fa- 
shion of  the  natural  beard  may  be  daily  beheld  in  the  streets, 
from  the  cardinal  to  the  beggar,  and  on  travellers  from  all 
parts  of  Europe  and  Asia.  Various  confraternities  of  monks 
wear  them  in  different  shapes,  modified  by  the  scissors  and 
razor.  Beggars  consider  them  a  valuable  property,  especial- 
ly when  they  have  become  long  and  gray,  But  there  is  ano- 
ther class  of  persons  who  cultivate  this  antique  fashion  and 
patriarchal  appendage  for  the  express  use  of  artists,  who  may 
hire  them  of  all  ages  and  modes  for  a  paul,  (ten  cents,)  an 
hour. 

The  practice  of  binding  up  the  limbs  of  children  in  swad- 
dling clothes  continues  here,  not  only  from  an  indisposition  to 
abandon  old  customs,  but  probably  more  from  the  liberty  it 
allows  the  parent  or  nurse.    Wrapped  up,  somewhat  like  a 


190 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


mummy,  the  little  creature,  as  if  all  of  it  were  dead  but  the 
head  and  hands,  can  be  carried  about  like  a  stick  of  wood, 
and  laid  on  a  shelf  without  the  danger  of  falling:  and  those 
who  have  the  care  of  it  need  only  to  quiet  its  occasional  cries, 
and  sometimes  to  clean  it.  Yet  this  rigorous  confinement  of 
the  limbs  does  not  seem  to  impair  their  final  developement,  for 
the  Italians  have  generally  very  stout  legs.  Raphael,  Andrea 
del  Sarto,  and  other  artists  took  the  liberty  of  unswaddling 
all  the  Bambinos  they  painted,  and  threw  their  little  legs 
about  with  all  the  energy  of  infant  Herculeses;  probably  con- 
sidering it,  by  the  force  of  contrast,  a  divine  privilege. 

Processions  to  the  sick  are  often  met  in  the  streets,  pre- 
ceded by  a  little  bell — on  hearing  which,  the  pious  may  stop 
and  do  homage  to  the  passing  sacrament;  or  the  military 
guard,  at  the  word  of  command,  present  arms  and  kneel  in  a 
goodly  row,  till  the  chalice-bearing  priest,  in  full  dress,  walk- 
ing under  a  canopy,  and  surrounded  by  persons  bearing  can- 
dles, has  passed.  These  are  seen  to  stop  at  the  house  of  some 
dying  person,  who  submits  to  the  last  ceremonies  of  the 
church,  and  is  doomed  to  hear  his  death-song  loudly  chanted 
at  his  door.  Haply  he  may  recover  from  such  a  shock;  if 
not,  his  corpse  is  surrounded  with  candles  which  give  him 
no  light,  and  speedily  he  is  carried  to  the  tomb,  without  one 
attending  relation,  being  committed  wholly  to  the  custody  of 
the  priesthood,  who  form  a  long  procession  of  monks,  clad 
in  white  hoods,  with  holes  to  look  out  of,  like  grim  death's 
heads.  The  number  of  these  sturdy  troopers  is  always  re- 
gulated by  the  money  which  may  be  found  to  pay  their  stipu- 
lated fees ;  and  the  rich  think  it  essential  that  the  barefooted 
Dominicans  should  always  be  of  the  number. 

The  corpse,  lying  on  a  shallow  trough,  which  exposes  the 
whole  figure,  with  naked  head  and  hands,  is  borne  on  men's 
shoulders.  1  have  seen  thus  passing,  in  the  charge  of  stran- 
gers, a  lovely  girl  of  fifteen;  her  face  transparent  as  wax, 
and  the  red  still  lingering  on  her  cheeks ;  but  the  transient 
and  rapid  passage  of  this  celestial  form,  scarcely  attracted  an 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


191 


eye,  or  suspended  a  sentence  among  the  throng.  Custom  has 
prescribed  that  her  friends  should  weep  unseen. 

After  the  corpse  is  deposited  in  front  of  the  altar,  surround- 
ed by  lights  and  chanters,  it  is  left  in  the  twilight  to  be  depo- 
sited by  the  servants  of  the  church,  either  in  its  private  tomb, 
or  pitched  unceremoniously  into  one  of  the  great  vaults  be- 
neath the  pavement.  I  have  sometimes  been  nauseated  with 
the  stench  that  rose  through  the  crevices. 

Since  the  hot  weather  has  commenced,  scarcely  a  day 
passes  without  some  religious  procession  from  the  church, 
which  is  dedicated  to  the  saint  of  the  day,  and  whose  anni- 
versary is  noted  in  the  holy  calendar.  There  is  a  great  si- 
milarity between  them,  and  I  found  but  little  to  interest 
me  in  the  parade  of  wax  candles,  painted  banners,  and  coarse 
military  music.  A  more  extensive  one  has  recently  oc- 
curred at  St.  Peter's,  in  which  the  pope  himself  performed 
the  rare  ceremony  of  walking.  Several  bodies  of  men  car- 
ried candles,  crucifixes,  flags,  banners,  and  immense  crosses. 
Each  great  cross  was  of  the  full  size,  made  of  light  materi- 
als, and  hollow,  being  balanced  by  one  man.  The  banners, 
which  are  great  pictures  like  altar-pieces,  painted  on  both 
sides,  are  carried  on  poles  by  two  men,  and  kept  erect  by 
ropes  extending  front  and  back.  Then  followed  a  little 
crucifix  under  a  canopy,  accompanied  by  a  military  band  of 
music.  This  procession  at  St.  Peter's  differed  from  all 
others  I  had  seen,  by  the  introduction  of  a  number  of  fe- 
males as  vestals,  in  white  flannel  dresses  and  •  ample  white 
veils  curiously  pinned  over  their  heads,  across  their  mouths, 
necks,  and  bosoms,  and  floating  behind  them;  each  bearing 
a  candle.  At  last,  a  canopy,  with  the  holy  sacrament,  held 
by  a  bishop,  was  followed  by  the  pope  and  cardinals,  each 
bearing,  like  soldiers  trailing  arms,  a  large  wax  candle.  It 
is  certainly  curious  to  observe  this  intermingling  of  reli- 
gious and  military  ceremonies.  Soldiers  are  stationed  every 
where,  and  march  in  the  processions,  and  there  is  little 
else  than  military  music.    The  soldiers,  with  their  own 


192 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


caps  on,  crying,  out  to  the  people  when  the  crosses  pass,  to 
take  off  their  hats,  which  they  sometimes  strike  with  their 
muskets.  I  perceived  that  this  order  was  obeyed  only 
within  musket  reach;  for  beyond  this  military  enforcement 
of  religious  duty,  the  people  generally  kept  their  hats  on, 
and  only  took  them  off  on  the  approach  of  the  sacrament 
itself.  The  path  through  which  it  passes  is  strewed  with 
flowers  and  green  leaves,  and  flowers  are  thrown  from  the 
neighbouring  windows. 

The  people  appear  to  regard  these  processions  merely  as 
amusing  spectacles;  and  they  certainly,  in  a  degree,  arouse 
them  from  that  dull  monotony  of  existence  which  would  be 
their  fate  during  the  heats  of  summer,  when  Rome  is  de- 
serted by  all  strangers,  life  and  fashion.  When  it  is  known 
that  a  procession  is  to  take  place,  the  streets  through  which 
it  is  to  pass,  late  in  the  afternoon,  are  lined  with  chairs, 
which  are  hired  out;  and  every  house  makes  a  display  of 
its  red  or  yellow  silk  hangings,  with  which  they  appear  to 
be  provided  expressly  for  these  purposes.  The  amusement 
consists  in  the  military  display,  the  band  of  music,  the  ban- 
ners, flags,  and  canopies,  the  glass  lustres,  and  the  long  suc- 
cession of  lighted  candles;  but  the  most  lively  interest  is 
excited  by  the  difficulty  of  carrying  the  great  banners  in 
varying  currents  of  air;  and  in  preserving  the  balance  of 
the  great  cross,  and  the  critical  and  dexterous  shifting  of  it 
from  one  red-faced  and  fatigued  Hercules  to  a  fresh  one, 
into  whose  belted  socket  it  is  lifted.  It  is  only  at  the  mo- 
ment when  the  sacrament  passes,  that  the  spectators  resolve 
themselves  into  the  attitude  and  perhaps  the  feeling  of  de- 
votion. 

The  frequency  of  religious  ceremonies,  like  the  hack- 
neyed custom-house  oath,  seems  to  lessen  the  sentiment  of 
reverence;  but  amusement  is  furnished  to  the  people,  and 
occupation  to  the  clergy,  as  well  as  business  to  the  manu- 
facturers of  wax  candles,  of  which  the  consumption  is  very 
great.    Streams  of  melted  wax  pour  from  the  blazing  can- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


193 


dies  of  four  wicks;  all  of  which  falls  on  the  ground,  except 
what  can  be  caught  by  ragged  urchins,  who  eagerly  hold  up 
their  paper  funnels  for  that  purpose,  which  is  permitted  by 
the  meekest  of  the  torch-bearing  monks,  whilst  some  of 
prouder  mien  frown  away  the  little  meddlers. 

Amid  all  the  ceremonies  which  I  have  attended  at  St. 
Peter's,  devotion  certainly  does  not  appear  to  constitute 
the  principal  part.  The  edifice  itself  is  a  sumptuous  pa- 
lace to  display  the  power  and  wealth  of  the  church;  pro- 
fessedly a  consecration  of  the  genius  and  labours  of  man  to 
the  Divine  Being.  Satisfied  with  having  thus  a  temple  erect- 
ed above  all  other  temples,  as  the  expression  of  homage, 
his  devotion  is  lost  in  wonder  at  the  work  of  his  own  hands. 
Seldom  is  the  penitent  discovered  in  the  confessionals,  and, 
though  numbers  are  seen  kneeling  before  the  various  shrines, 
their  eyes  may  be  observed  wandering  with  the  groups  of 
admiring  strangers.  In  the  obscurity  of  some  humbler 
sanctuary  may  the  most  penitent  and  pious  be  found,  where 
there  is  little  to  distract  their  devotions.  The  pilgrim, 
however,  who  has  travelled  far  to  visit  Rome,  hastens  to 
kneel  in  this  palace  of  churches,  and  enjoys  the  pride  of 
belonging  to  a  faith  which  has  manifested  such  magnificence 
and  power. 

Preparatory  to  leaving  Rome,  and  before  the  pictures  I 
had  painted  could  be  packed  up,  it  was  necessary  to  have 
them  inspected  and  certified  by  various  officers,  whose  duty 
it  is  to  prevent  any  valuable  picture  of  the  old  masters  being 
taken  out  of  Rome,  without  being  first  presented  to  the 
option  of  the  government  to  purchase  at  a  fair  valuation. 
This  being,  with  some  difficulty,  accomplished,  the  pass- 
ports obtained,  and  a  carriage  hired  for  Florence  by  the 
way  of  Sienna,  we  started  on  the  third  of  July. 

The  Campagna  on  the  side  of  Rome  which  leads  to  Flo- 
rence is  even  less  level  than  on  that  towards  Tivoli,  being 
altogether  hilly,  and  only  seeming  like  a  plain  when  seen 
from  some  distant  mountain.    It  is  imperfectly  cultivated, 

25 


194 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


and  has  but  few  habitations;  being  reputed  extremely  un- 
healthy. A  hut  on  the  road-side,  rudely  constructed  of 
reeds  and  straw,  serves  as  the  residence  of  one  solitary  man, 
whose  business  it  is  to  furnish  refreshments  to  the  poor  who 
travel  that  way. 

We  breakfasted  at  the  post  house,  on  a  plain  which  ap- 
pears to  be  within  the  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano.  On 
passing  out  of  it,  there  were  to  be  seen  the  traces  of  im- 
mense torrents  of  lava,  which  had  flowed  into  the  valley 
below,  but  deeply  covered  with  ashes  and  soil.  After  pass- 
ing this  volcanic  region,  the  country  became  more  pictu- 
resque, till  we  reached  our  resting  place,  Ronsiglione,  a 
curious  old  town  built  on  a  mountain.  A  stream  passes 
through  it,  working  a  number  of  wire  mills,  in  a  deep  roman- 
tic fissure  of  the  rocks,  which  rise  perpendicularly  opposite 
the  old  black  and  ruinous  masses  of  stone  and  mortar,  which, 
by  the  perforations  resembling  doors  and  windows,  you  dis- 
cover to  be  houses.  The  town  contains  the  ruins  of  some 
fine  edifices,  but  all  elegance  has  departed  from  a  spot  that 
was  once  the  residence  of  much  taste  and  wealth.  Some 
venerable  oaks  and  pines  remain,  as  beautiful  objects,  con- 
trasting well  with  the  surrounding  plains  and  distant  barren 
mountains.  But  the  narrow  valley  between  the  town  and 
the  opposite  cliff  is  noted  for  its  beauty. 

From  Ronsiglione  we  gradually  ascended  a  high  moun- 
tain, which  commands  an  extensive  and  beautiful  prospect, 
and,  descending  suddenly  to  the  foot  of  it,  entered  the  town 
of  Viterbo,  the  ancient  metropolis  of  Etruria.  The  shops 
and  workmen  gave  it  more  an  air  of  business  than  any  thing 
I  had  seen  in  Rome;  but,  as  we  drove  through  the  town 
from  one  gate  to  the  other  without  stopping,  we  could  see 
but  little.  We  passed  several  handsome  old  fountains,  and 
remarked  that  the  predominant  fashion  with  the  females  was 
to  wear  a  piece  of  red  worsted  with  a  black  border  on  their 
heads  and  shoulders.  ^ 

Nothing  interesting  appeared  till  we  entered  Montefias- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


195 


cone,  a  curious  assemblage  of  wretched  stone  houses,  built 
on  a  conic  mountain;  which,  however,  is  worth  the  trou- 
ble of  ascending,  to  enjoy  a  delightful  view  of  the  Lake  of 
BoZsena,  seen  over  richly  cultivated  "fields,  high  moun- 
tains terminating  the  distance. 

Although  it  was  the  full  season  for  apricots,  the  market 
place  afforded  only  one  man  who  had  a  few  to  sell.  It  was 
so  rare  a  thing  to  see  a  customer  buy  three  pounds  of 
them,  that  a  crowd  of  children  surrounded  me,  and  the  apri- 
cot merchant  himself  bowed  as  I  passed  him  on  my  return. 
A  German  lady,  who  was  of  our  party  to  view  the  lake, 
seeing  a  little  girl  knitting  slowly,  took  the  stocking  and 
exhibited  such  an  activity  of  fingers,  that  a  large  crowd  of 
little  knitters,  as  well  as  their  mothers,  soon  gathered  round 
in  astonishment  and  admiration. 

From  the  wretched  inn,  which  pretended  to  afford  us  ac- 
commodation, in  this  region  of  indolence,  we  descended  a  te- 
dious road  till  we  approached  the  lake ;  which  with  its  two 
islands  and  diversified  shores  continued  long  our  only  objects 
of  interest:  at  the  head  of  it,  the  town  of  Bolsena  rises  high 
above  the  shore.  We  did  not  enter  it,  and  saw  nothing  of  its 
ancient  temples,  amphitheatre,  and  ruins;  nor  what  inherit- 
ance of  taste  remains  in  a  city  which  furnished  to  Rome  in 
her  splendour  twelve  hundred  statues.  Not  far  from  Bolse- 
na, we  passed  a  great  mass  of  basaltic  columns,  very  distinct- 
ly split  into  regular  angles,  standing  obliquely. 

An  extra  horse  had  accompanied  us  from  Montefiascone  to 
assist  us  up  the  mountain  to  the  village  of  San  Lorenzo.  We 
passed  the  enormous  ruins  of  a  castle  situated  on  a  steep  ridge 
of  rocks  projecting  into  a  beautiful  valley.  From  this  we 
wound  up  the  steep  mountain,  and  gained  a  delightful  view 
of  the  lake.  On  a  neighbouring  hill  is  a  fine  estate  owned 
by  Lucien  Bonaparte,  from  which  he  derives  his  title.  San 
Lorenzo,  among  the  villages  of  Italy,  is  singular  in  its  regu- 
larity. Though  on  the  topjpf  a  mountain  it  is  perfectly  level. 
It  consists  of  uniform  buildings,  of  two  stories,  surrounding 


196 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


an  octangular  place,  with  four  short  streets  proceeding  from 
it  at  right  angles,  two  of  them  terminating  with  churches. 

On  leaving  San  Lorenzo  a  most  beautiful  valley  burst  upon 
our  view,  continuing  some  distance.  Hitherto  we  had  passed 
through  a  volcanic  country,  and  saw  no  streams  of  water. 
Now  irregular  rocks  jutted  out  from  the  sides  of  the  moun- 
tains, and  little  rivulets  sought  the  valleys  below.  Men  and 
women,  armed  with  spades,  rakes,  and  sickles,  were  assem- 
bling in  the  market  places  of.  the  villages,  through  which  we 
passed,  and  moving  out  in  parties  to  their  respective  fields 
of  labour.  Their  appearance  suggested  to  us  the  reflection 
that  painters  improperly  represent  them  in  their  holiday  suits 
at  work,  never  as  they  really  are,  dirty,  ragged,  and  beg- 
garly, twenty  and  thirty  together  in  a  group.  The  roads  and 
fields  are  gay  with  flowers,  especially  the  red  poppy,  and  a 
variety  of  yellow,  white,  and  purple  flowers. 

Passing  the  last  village  in  the  Roman  territory,  we  tra- 
velled over  a  tedious  length  of  barren  and  wild  hills,  till  we 
reached  the  custom-house  of  JRadicofani,  on  the  frontiers  of 
Tuscany.  This  custom-house,  like  a  great  barn,  stands  on 
the  side  of  a  hill  below  the  town,  and  comprises  the  conve- 
nience of  a  large  hotel,  which  is  necessary  during  a  deten- 
tion of  several  hours.  Having  breakfasted,  we  took  the  usual 
guide,  an  old  man  of  seventy,  and  occupied  an  hour  and  a 
half  in  rising  to  the  top  of  the  mountain,  which  is  capped 
with  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  and  stupendous  fortress.  We 
examined  all  its  dilapidated  gate-ways,  bastions,  and  towers; 
looked  down  on  the  town  to  which  we  had  before  looked  up, 
and  which  was  built  two  thousand  five  hundred  years  ago, 
and  surveyed  a  vast  circumference  of  country,  comprising 
many  villages,  a  volcanic  mountain,  and  the  hot  baths  of  San 
Filippo.  The  old  fortress  was  built  of  solid  masses  of  lava, 
and  an  immense  quantity  of  the  red  spongy  kind. 

A  person  generally  attends  at  the  hotel  with  a  collection  of 
medallions  of  Travertine,  made  in  the  waters  of  San  Filippo. 
Moulds  of  wax  or  sulphur  are  laid  in  the  water,  and  soon  re- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


197 


ceive  a  deposite  of  fine,  white,  and  hard  stone,  producing 
the  most  beautiful  and  perfect  impressions,  which  are  sold  at 
moderate  prices. 

The  road  for  a  long  distance,  in  a  singular  manner,  passed 
over  the  ridges  of  wild  and  barren  mountains,  commanding 
extensive  prospects,  and  crossed  the  dry  channels  of  the  moun- 
tain torrents,  which  in  rainy  seasons  are  difficult  to  pass ;  nu- 
merous castles  crowned  the  distant  hills,  and  patches  of  cul- 
tivation marked  the  valleys.  The  country  as  we  advanced 
improved  in  cultivation,  till  we  approached  the  white  clay 
hills  of  Sienna.  Soon  after,  the  neat  country  seats  which 
skirted  the  settlement,  showed  that  we  were  entering  a  city 
of  elegance  and  taste. 


Sienna. 

During  the  few  hours  which  we  were  to  remain  here,  it 
was  necessary  to  hasten  over  the  principal  objects  of  curiosi- 
ty, beginning  with  the  cathedral,  a  singular  edifice,  composed 
of  alternate  layers  of  black  and  white  marble,  but  with  a  cu- 
rious and  richly  carved  Gothic  front.  The  black  and  white 
layers  of  stone,  wrought  into  clustered  columns  and  arches, 
within  the  church,  where  both  are  cleaner  than  on  the  out- 
side, appeared  at  a  little  distance  to  be  covered  with  check 
curtains  of  a  large  pattern. 

Near  the  great  altar  is  the  celebrated  mosaic  pavement,  ex- 
ecuted in  a  manner  peculiar  to  Sienna  five  hundred  years  ago, 
by  Beccafumi  Meccarino.  It  is  in  imitation  of  large  draw- 
ings or  cartoons,  consisting  of  a  free  and  vigorous  outline,  as 
if  done  with  a  brush,  some  strokes  being  darker  than  others, 
and  heightened  by  judicious  touches  of  white.  The  out- 
line, shadows,  and  lights  consist  entirely  of  sections  of  stones, 


198 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


inlaid  on  a  gray  ground,  executed  with  great  spirit  and  beauty, 
and  worthy  the  care  which  is  taken  to  preserve  them,  for  they 
are  covered  with  panels  of  wood  which  are  raised  in  sections 
to  show  the  pictured.  The  ceiling  of  one  of  the  halls  in  the 
palace  of  the  municipality  is  decorated  by  this  artist,  but  show 
him  to  less  advantage  in  his  gay  colouring  than  he  appears  on 
the  pavement  of  the  cathedral,  and  in  some  cartoons  which 
are  preserved  in  the  Dominican  church,  executed  in  black 
and  white  chalk.  In  the  sacristy  the  walls  are  covered  with 
historical  pieces,  designed  by  Raphael,  and  executed  by  Pin- 
turichio,  among  which  are  many  fine  heads  and  curiously 
finished  costumes. 

In  one  of  the  chambers  of  the  municipal  palace  is  a  col- 
lection of  the  Portraits  of  all  the  popes  and  cardinals  who 
were  natives  of  Sienna.  In  the  same  room  are  several  other 
pictures,  especially  the  Judgment  of  Solomon,  by  Luca 
Giordano.  The  principal  chambers  of  this  curious  build- 
ing were  decorated  by  all  the  best  painters  of  Sienna,  when 
Sienna  was  the  seat  of  the  arts,  and  her  artists  the  most  cele- 
brated and  excellent  in  the  world:  they  were  the  rude  pre- 
cursers  of  more  modern  excellence.  The  inhabitants  are 
very  proud  of  the  square  tower,  which  has  been  recently  in- 
creased in  height,  by  projecting  stone  turrets,  which  make  it 
larger  at  top  than  at  bottom.  It  is  surmounted  by  a  large 
bell  which  hangs  on  iron  rods  arching  from  the  four  corners. 

In  front  of  this  building  is  the  market  place,  decorated  with 
a  fountain,  profusely  covered  with  ancient  marble  sculptures. 
The  market  people  sit  under  triangles,  consisting  each  of 
three  poles  uniting  at  the  top,  to  one  side  of  which  is  at- 
tached a  piece  of  sail  cloth,  which  they  shift  from  side  to 
side  as  the  sun  advances. 

The  church  of  the  Dominicans  is  a  large  edifice  in  the 
form  of  a  capital  T,  and  contains,  among  many  others,  the 
much  venerated  works  of  Guido  of  Sienna,  painted  in  the 
year  1221.  They  do  credit  to  the  early  school  of  Sienna, 
and  possess  very  natural  heads,  and  well  studied  draperies, 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


199 


but  the  figures  are  formal,  and  of  emaciated  anatomy.  In 
the  same  church  is  a  painting  by  Giotto,  on  a  large  cross. 
The  most  distinguished  artist  of  modern  times  (as  Giotto  was 
in  his)  would  not  condescend  to  occupy  his  pencil  with  such 
a  device,  but  it  is  preserved  with  a  twofold  veneration. 

The  Gallery  and  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  contain  a  most 
curious  and  interesting  collection  of  the  works  of  the  early 
painters,  arranged  according  to  the  ages  in  which  they  flou- 
rished. They  consist  almost  entirely  of  small  altar-pieces  of 
stiff  figures  amid  floods  of  gold,  but  in  many  of  ihe  heads 
you  find  an  extraordinary  appearance  of  nature  and  careful 
finishing. 

From  Sienna  to  Barberino,  where  we  slept,  the  road  was 
very  fine  over  a  country  of  delightful  scenery,  which  conti- 
nued till  we  reached  Florence,  winding  at  last  through  pic- 
turesque mountains,  and  entering  by  a  suburb,  the  extent, 
neatness  and  activity  of  which,  indicated  a  more  flourishing 
state  of  society,  after  leaving  the  dignity  and  dulness  of  Rome. 
Accustomed  to  the  rags  and  patches  of  Naples  and  Rome, 
it  was  pleasing  to  see  the  peasantry  of  Tuscany  better  clad, 
and  more  industrious;  the  country  in  the  most  perfect  state 
of  cultivation,  and  the  habitations  neat  and  commodious.  It 
was  full  harvest  time,  and  men  and  women  were  labouring 
in  the  fields  in  nearly  equal  numbers,  apparently  happy  as 
they  were  cheerful.  Their  practice  in  reaping  is  to  cut  a 
handful  of  the  wheat  and  immediately  tie  it  up,  before  cut- 
ting another.  These  little  bundles  are  afterwards  piled  toge- 
ther in  long  ridges  resembling  corded  wood,  and  then  made 
up  into  large  stacks  like  hay,  or  put  away  into  granaries. 
Not  only  the  young  girls,  but  the  old  women,  wear  hats,  ge- 
nerally of  black  straw,  which,  in  proportion  as  we  approached 
Florence,  became  more  and  more  decorated  with  ribands 
and  ostrich  feathers. 


200 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


Florence,  July  7th. 

However  slow  may  be  the  general  movement  of  the  Vet- 
turino,  on  entering  a  city  he  appears  desirous  of  showing 
off  his  skill,  and  rattles  through  the  narrow  streets  so  rapidly 
as  scarcely  to  permit  any  thing  to  be  distinctly  seen.  In 
this  manner  we  passed  the  dark  rustic  mass  of  the  Ducal  re- 
sidence, and,  crossing  a  bridge  of  jewellers'  shops,  soon  found 
ourselves  deposited  at  a  hotel  overlooking  the  river — a  small 
but  rapid  stream,  raised  and  spread  out  by  means  of  a  dam 
at  the  lower  end  of  the  city.  This  broad  sheet  of  water  is 
crossed  by  four  stone  bridges,  one  of  which  is  remarkable 
for  its  beauty  and  lightness,  and  one  for  its  excrescences  of 
irregular  shops.  A  great  portion  of  both  sides  of  the  river, 
consists  of  fine  streets,  the  most  airy,  light,  and  elegant  situ- 
ations in  the  city;  but,  in  other  parts,  on  both  sides,  the  ill 
aspect  of  many  towering  and  irregular  masses  of  habitable 
stone,  perforated  with  all  sorts  of  holes  for  windows,  rise  out 
of  the  water,  and  enable  the  occupants,  with  hook  and  line, 
or  net,  to  practise  the  business  or  amusement  of  fishing. 
Men,  too,  are  seen  wading  in  the  river  up  to  the  waist,  pa- 
tiently bearing  the  burning  sun,  and  its  dazzling  and  em- 
browning reflection,  and  at  long  intervals,  catching  a  few 
little  fish,  which  are  kept  alive  in  huge  calabashes  of  water 
hanging  at  their  sides.  The  Jlrno  here  is  a  river  without 
boats,  except  occasionally  when  one  may  be  seen  in  the  em- 
ployment of  scooping  up  sand  and  gravel,  to  be  unloaded  on 
the  adjoining  street,  by  throwing  it  from  stage  to  stage,  over 
the  high  wall  which  lines  or  forms  the  embankment  of  the 
river.  For  the  little  commerce  carried  on,  tow  boats  are 
used,  which  may  be  seen  some  distance  below  the  last  bridge 
and  dam. 

Impatient  to  visit  the  far-famed  Florentine  gallery,  I  has- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


201 


tened  to  the  great  square  Piazza  Granduca,  and  glanced  over 
its  characteristic  traits.  An  ancient  castellated  palace  filled 
one  corner,  square  and  high;  near  it  was  an  open  portico, 
whose  lofty  arches,  a  shelter  for  dealers  who  frequent  the 
square,  were  ornamented  with  the  master  works  of  John  of 
Bologna,  and  Benvenuto  Cellini;  in  front  was  a  fountain, 
whose  ample  basin  and  centre  are  profusely  arrayed  with 
bronze  and  marble  statuary; — a  colossal  equestrian  statue  of 
bronze  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  piazza,  and  around  its  sides 
were  a  massive  custom-house,  a  great  post  office  shed,  and 
various  other  buildings,  all  ugly,  with  the  exception  of  Fenzi, 
the  banker's,  and  a  few  lodging  houses. 

Adjoining  the  old  palace,  reaching  to  the  river,  and  form- 
ing three  sides  of  a  long  open  court  or  street,  is  a  great  build- 
ing, of  which  the  lower  arcades  are  used  as  a  Bazaar,  the 
principal  apartments  for  the  mint  and  public  offices,  and  the 
whole  of  the  upper  story,  where  the  light  is  unobstructed,  for 
a  gallery  of  the  fine  arts.  To  this  floor,  you  ascend  by  one 
hundred  and  twenty  steps,  the  upper  flight  of  which,  leading 
exclusively  to  the  gallery,  is  especially  handsome.  You 
pass  on  the  landing  place  a  beautiful  Bacchus,  and  in  two  suc- 
cessive vestibules,  a  number  of  statues,  and  busts  of  the  foun- 
der, Lorenzo  the  Magnificent,  and  those  of  the  sovereigns 
who  have  since  continued  it. 

The  gallery  commences  with  one  continuous  corridor,  light- 
ed from  the  court,  extending  round  its  three  sides  for  eleven 
hundred  feet.  It  contains  a  series  of  pictures,  arranged  by 
Vasari,  to  show  the  origin  and  progress  of  the  arts  in  Italy, 
gradually  advancing  from  the  painters  of  the  thirteenth,  to 
those  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Five  hundred  and  thirty 
little  portraits  of  distinguished  men,  poorly  painted,  occupy 
the  cornice;  a  row  of  statues  on  each  side,  at  moderate  dis- 
tances, divides  your  attention  between  the  rival  charms  of 
the  pencil  and  the  chisel.  The  collection  of  statues  at  Rome, 
in  the  Vatican  and  the  Capitol,  with  many  first  rate  and  per- 
fect works,  comprise  a  vast  number  of  inferior  merit,  and  in 

26 


902 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


mutilated  fragments;  whilst  this  smaller  collection  at  Florence 
consists  almost  entirely  of  the  most  select  and  beautiful  ob- 
jects; with  but  few  that  are  mutilated,  and  some  very  cele- 
brated. 

In  -one  of  these  long  corridors,  a  number  of  artists  had 
their  easels  copying  pictures,  which  they  were  permitted  to 
have  taken  from  the  walls,  and  placed  near  them  at  the  win- 
dows. An  octagonal  room,  called  the  tribune,  is  an  excep- 
tion to  this  rule.  It  contains  a  few  of  the  most  esteemed 
statues  and  pictures,  crowded  into  so  small  a  compass,  that 
only  three  or  four  artists  are  permitted  to  paint  in  it  at  a 
time,  and  none  of  the  pictures  are  removed  from  the  walls. 
But  what  is  worse,  the  little  windows  that  surround  the  cor- 
nice, afford  an  imperfect  or  injurious  light  upon  most  of  the 
objects. 

The  tribune  is  said  to  contain  nothing  but  the  most  es- 
teemed master  pieces.  T-his  is  true  in  regard  to  the  statues 
of  the  Venus  of  Medicis,  the  Dancing  Faun,  the  Young 
Jlpollo,  and  the  Boxers;  and  so  it  is  in  regard  to  Andrea 
del  Sarto's  well  coloured  picture  of  the  Madonna,  with  St. 
Francis  and  St.  John,  and  the  bright  and  exquisitely  co- 
loured Venus,  by  Titian.  The  name  of  Raphael  generally 
carries  fascination  with  it,  and  those  who  enter  with  a  de- 
termination to  be  charmed  with  every  thing  that  bears  his 
name,  are  prepared  to  cry  out  in  raptures  at  his  exquisitely 
finished  portrait  of  the  Fornarina,  although  it  represents  an 
ugly  and  vulgar  woman,  without  any  charm  of  colouring. 

Before  this  picture  was  deprived,  by  cleaning,  of  its  sunny 
hue,  it  was  ascribed  to  Giorgione;  till  Mr.  Smith,  an  old  Ame- 
rican artist,  still  resident  here,  assigned  it,  with  the  consent 
of  the  connoisseurs,  to  Raphael.  It  bears  the  date  of  1512. 
Its  fine  colour  and  high  finish,  (as  I  saw  it  in  Paris  twenty 
years  ago)  gave  it  a  reputation  which  it  never  could  have  ob- 
tained from  its  contracted  forehead,  heavy  eyes,  pointed  jaw, 
and  large  unarticulated  neck.  The  eyes  and  mouth  are  not 
parallel,  and  the  nose,  which,  between  the  eyes  is  high  and 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


203 


square  like  marble,  is  flattened  on  one  side,  and  seems  to  pro- 
ject not  more  than  a  quarter  of  an  inch  beyond  the  upper 
lip.  The  badly  designed  folds  of  the  sleeve  do  not  accord 
with  those  around  the  bosom,  and  a  wreath  of  real  gold  on 
the  hair  and  string  of  gold  on  the  neck,  are  without  lights 
and  shadows.  The  mouth  alone  is  beautifully  painted;  the 
head  is  in  a  great  but  masculine  style;  and  the  fur  is  exqui- 
sitely finished.  Let  the  unprejudiced  observer  judge  how 
correct  are  these  criticisms,  before  he  becomes  a  slave  to 
popular  prejudice.  To  praise  this  picture  more  is  injurious 
to  the  progress  of  truth  and  art. 

The  Two  Holy  Families,  by  Raphael,  are  in  the  hard 
manner  of  his  master,  and  certainly  would  not  be  much  ad- 
mired under  any  other  name,  though  one  of  the  faces  is  of  a 
beautiful  form.  His  St.  John  sits  out  of  balance,  and  his 
strongly  defined  muscles,  for  a  youth,  are  of  a  disagreeable 
tan  colour.  Corregio's  little  Madonna,  notwithstanding 
her  affectation,  is  beautiful.  As  for  the  Holy  Family,  as- 
cribed to  Michael  Angelo,  few  artists  believe  the  hard  drawn, 
flat,  unmeaning  thing  to  be  at  all  worthy  of  him. 

The  Magdalen,  by  Carlo  Dolce,  which  is  in  the  hall  of 
Barocchio,  differs  from  the  Fornarina,  in  having  sufficient 
jaw  and  projection  of  nose;  but  the  eyes  roll  out  of  sockets 
too  low  in  reference  to  the  brows  and  cheek-bones,  and  the 
forehead  projects  disagreeably.  The  neck  is  well  articulated, 
but  all  the  shadows  of  the  skin  are  too  leaden.  The  pearls 
and  drapery  are  fine;  and  in  his  picture  of  St.  Galla  Pla- 
cida,  nothing  can  be  more  exquisite  than  the  right  hand  which 
holds  the  cross,  as  well  as  the  jewelry,  and  the  book  at  the 
bottom  of  the  picture;  but  the  head,  hair,  and  neck,  are 
wretchedly  bad.  The  best  thing  I  have  seen  by  Carlo  Dolce — 
for  I  can  only  admire  the  nose  in  his  Head  of  Poetry,  in 
the  Corsini  palace — is  a  picture  in  the  Pitti  palace,  Saint 
Peter  about  to  be  crucified,  in  which  the  colouring,  exe- 
cution, and  expression,  are  exquisitely  beautiful;  particularly 
of  the  fine  group  at  the  right  hand  of  the  picture.  Admi- 


204 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


ration  too  often  grows  out  of  the  wonder  excited  by  the 
highly  finished  labours  of  Carlo  Dolce,  but  they  are  seldom 
admired  by  artists,  unless  they  are  well  paid  for  copying 
them. 

This  gallery  is  open  to  all  those  who  choose  to  enter  it, 
prince  or  peasant,  every  day  except  Sundays  and  holidays,  at 
nine  o'clock,  and  closed  at  three.  But  at  eleven,  one  of  the 
keepers  unlocks  a  numerous  succession  of  apartments  adjoin- 
ing these  corridors,  and  containing  Etruscan  vases,  and  other 
pottery,  Grecian, Roman,  and  Egyptian  statues  and  antiquities; 
and,  arranged  in  distinct  classes,  specimens  of  the  French,  Fle- 
mish, Dutch,  Italian,  Tuscan,  and  Venetian  schools  of  paint- 
ing; and  two  rooms  filled  with  the  portraits  of  artists,  all 
painted  by  themselves,  of  various  sizes,  often  with  the  hands 
and  other  accompaniments.  Many  of  these  pictures  are  ex- 
cellent, curious  and  interesting,  but  they  are  crowded  into  ill 
lighted  rooms.  In  the  range  of  these  apartments,  the  visiter 
is  taken  into  one  which  contains  a  collection  of  the  most 
precious  gems  and  stones,  wrought  into  the  most  beautiful 
forms,  and  enriched  with  the  most  exquisite  sculpture,  both 
on  the  stones  and  their  mountings  of  gold  and  silver,  by  Ben- 
venuto  Cellini  and  other  celebrated  artists.  The  eye  is  de- 
lighted, and  the  mind  astonished  with  the  variety,  size,  beau- 
ty and  workmanship  of  these  objects,  which  are  displayed 
in  a  small  apartment  of  the  utmost  beauty,  ornamented  with 
columns  of  alabaster  and  verd  antique. 

The  first  survey  of  this  magnificent  collection  occupied 
me  during  five  hours;  a  greater  length  of  time,  than  it  is  judi- 
cious to  bestow  at  once,  as  the  mind  becomes  fatigued  and 
incapable  of  correct  judgment,  and  dull  to  the  enjoyment. 

As  three  o'clock  closes  the  gallery  and  allows  the  various 
keepers  the  liberty  of  escaping  to  their  dinners,  and  no  pub- 
lic institutions  are  open  at  that  hour,  the  stranger  is  disposed 
to  fill  up  his  time  by  looking  at  what  may  be  seen  out  of 
doors.  Returning  into  the  great  square,  it  is  worth  while  to 
stop  and  examine  more  at  leisure  some  of  the  statues  which 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


205 


distinguish  it,  perhaps  above  all  other  places.  The  Statue 
of  David,  though  really  done  by  Michael  Angelo,  was  a 
youthful  production,  and  exhibits  none  of  his  characteristic 
greatness.  The  bronze  statue  of  Perseus  holding  out  the 
head  of  the  Medusa,  whose  limbs  hang  over  the  pedestal, 
is  the  master  work  of  the  hot-brained  Benvenuto  Cellini. 
The  pedestal,  besides  its  bronze  basso  relievo,  is  covered 
with  a  profusion  of  minute  work,  evincing  his  professional 
taste  as  a  Florentine  goldsmith.  The  colossal  group,  in 
marble,  of  the  Rape  of  the  Sabines,  by  John  of  Bologna, 
deserves  the  praise  it  receives  as  the  master  piece  of  that 
esteemed  artist,  although  it  is  disfigured  by  dirt.  The  foun- 
tain is  decorated  with  a  number  of  bronze  figures,  by  the 
same  artist;  by  whom  also  is  the  colossal  equestrian  bronze 
Statue  of  Cosmo,  in  the  centre  of  the  place.  These  ob- 
jects of  fine  art  are  daily  seen  without  emotion  by  the  greater 
part  of  the  people  who  pass  or  frequent  this  place,  occupied 
with  bales  of  goods  near  the  custom-house;  bargaining  for 
straw  hats  or  horses;  surrounding  a  foolish  buffoon,  or  set  of 
dancing  dogs ;  gaping  at  an  eloquent  quack  doctor,  who  pro- 
claims his  skill  from  the  seat  of  his  carriage ;  or  witnessing 
the  dexterity  of  a  dentist,  who,  on  horseback,  draws  teeth  by 
way  of  advertisement,  for  the  information  of  customers  who 
cannot  read  the  gazette. 

This  piazza  is  the  greatest  thoroughfare  of  Florence,  lead- 
ing, on  one  side,  to  the  river  and  bridges,  and  on  the  other, 
to  the  ample  space  which  surrounds  the  cathedral  or  duomo. 
Narrow  as  are  the  streets  in  this  thoroughfare,  they  are  lined 
with  shops  of  all  kinds,  and,  being  well  paved  and  clean,  are 
frequented  by  all  classes  of  citizens. 

The  streets  are  paved  with  broad  flat  stones,  in  some 
places  regularly  squared,  and  placed  obliquely  from  the  cen- 
tre; but  in  general  consisting  of  stones  of  all  sizes  from  one 
to  five  feet  in  length,  and  of  every  shape  that  accident  can 
offer,  only  cut  at  the  edges  into  angles.  A  Chinese,  accus- 
tomed to  be  amused  with  his  box  of  triangles,  would  be  de- 


206 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


lighted  in  tracing  out  the  endless  variety  of  figures  which 
the  geometrical  paviours  of  Florence  have  effected  in  their 
streets.  Those  of  Pompeii,  and  the  ancient  Roman  roads, 
though  composed  of  irregular  stones,  present  a  very  different 
aspect,  consisting  of  stones  of  nearly  one  size. 

The  streets  are  kept  remarkably  clean,  both  by  the  resi- 
dents sweeping  before  their  own  houses,  and  by  men  who 
maybe  seen  going  about  every  day  with  a  brush  in  one  hand, 
and  a  shovel  in  the  other.  It  is  amusing  to  see  a  man  in  this 
compendious  manner  dragging  his  car,  with  both  arms  em- 
ployed in  gathering  up  the  dirt,  without  stopping,  and  dexte- 
rously throwing  it  into  his  basket  without  looking  back;  yet 
carefully  separating  into  different  baskets  the  old  shoes  and 
rubbish  from  the  more  precious  manure,  which  goes  to  en- 
rich the  gardens  in  the  vicinity. 

The  houses,  with  eaves  projecting  two  and  three  yards, 
are  generally  good  substantial  looking  buildings,  but  less  or- 
namented with  sculpture  and  stucco  than  those  of  Rome. 
The  public  buildings  are  more  remarkable  for  massive  strength 
than  architectural  beauty;  looking  more  like  fortresses  than 
palaces,  and  black  with  smoke  and  time  acting  on  a  stone 
which  is  naturally  dark.  External  appearances  seem  to  be 
less  regarded,  but  the  internal  economy  is  much  more  com- 
mendable than  at  Rome,  where  comfort  cannot  always  be 
purchased. 

Florence  is  supplied  with  numerous  fountains)  many  of 
them  of  elegant  sculpture;  but,  amidst  abundance  of  orna- 
mental bronze  and  marble,  you  can  scarcely  perceive  the 
slender  stream  that  issues  from  them,  in  quantity  merely 
sufficient  for  use,  but  not  for  beauty,  except  in  the  gardens 
of  the  grand  duke.  The  most  splendid  fountain,  before 
mentioned,  though  ornamented  with  a  colossal  Neptune  and 
eleven  bronze  figures,  throws  out  a  dozen  or  twenty  little 
streams,  each  not  larger  than  a  goose  quill. 

The  coffee-houses  are  fitted  up  in  a  better  style  than  at 
Rome,  well  served  both  with  coffee  and  ices,  and  at  a  small 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


207 


charge,  so  that  they  are  much  frequented.  At  Rome  they 
use  dirty  snow,  which  is  brought  in  compact  masses  from 
the  distant  mountains;  whereas,  here,  they  have  abundance 
of  clean  ice,  and  you  are  supplied  with  cool  water,  a  luxu- 
ry seldom  to  be  enjoyed  at  Rome,  though  the  water  is  more 
pure  and  abundant.  The  stranger  who  visits  Florence,  and 
spends  much  of  his  time  in  the  coffee-houses,  is  confirmed 
in  the  idea  that  this  is  the  region  of  flowers;  for  those  places 
are  not  merely  frequented;  but  beset  with  men  who  carry 
baskets  filled  the  most  gay  and  odoriferous  flowers,  which 
are  offered  not  only  to  the  ladies,  but  are  presented,  bunch 
after  bunch,  with  the  most  persevering  assiduity,  to  gentle- 
men who  are  sipping  their  coffee,  eating  their  ice  creams, 
or  reading  the  papers.  Their  gay  appearance  and  the  agree- 
able odour  which  they  diffuse  are  a  sufficient  recompense 
for  the  intrusion  of  these  petty  merchants,  who  are  less  ob- 
noxious than  a  still  more  numerous  class  who  pester  you 
with  knives,  razors,  and  combs;  linens','*  silks,  and  cloths; 
cravats,  shawls,  and  rugs;  alabaster  carvings,  and  every 
thing  that  can  be  carried  about  by  hand,  which  they  perse- 
cute you  to  buy  in  spite  of  your  no,  no,  which  means  no- 
thing to  them.  Experienced  Italians  send  off  the  dirty  fel- 
lows with  a  u  caro  mio,"—"  no,  my  dear,  I  am  not  in  want 
of  it." 

The  palace  of  the  grand  duke,  called  the  Palazzo  Pitti, 
is  situated  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  on  the  edge  of  a 
considerable  hill,  the  sides  and  undulations  of  which  are  laid 
out  in  most  extensive  and  delightful  gardens  and  walks,  which 
are  ornamented  with  fountains  and  a  multitude  of  statues. 
The  dark  brown  front  of  the  palace  looks  like  an  immense 
prison,  being  built  in  the  rustic  or  Tuscan  style,  in  great  bosses 
of  roughly  broken  stone.  A  central  archway  opens  into  the 
court  which  consists  of  brighter  stone,  but  in  a  singular  massive 
style.  Here  a  livery  servant,  with  his  long  gold-headed  cane 
of  office,  met  and  conducted  us  up  the  great  stair-case  into 
a  large  hall,  where  a  number  of  persons,  rich  and  poor,  were 


208 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


waiting  to  transact  business  with  the  grand  duke,  who  is  said 
to  be  an  excellent  man,  and  very  accessible.  We  were  con- 
ducted through  a  long  series  of  rooms  for  private  use,  to  one 
of  an  octagonal  shape,  in  the  centre  of  which  stands  Cano- 
va's  celebrated  Statue  of  Venus  coming  from  the  bath, 
whose  beauties  are  multiplied  by  several  mirrors  into  endless 
perspectives.  Through  saloons,  cabinets,  and  bed-rooms,  fur- 
nished in  the  richest  style,  we  retraced  our  steps,  finding  no 
other  object  to  see — an  evidence  how  much  this 'modern 
work  of  art  is  esteemed. 

Then  commenced  another  series  of  chambers  or  halls,  the 
lofty  ceilings  of  which,  above  magnificent  cornices  of  gold, 
were  painted  by  Luca  Giordano,  Sabatelli,  and  others;  and 
the  walls  covered  with  a  vast  collection  of  pictures,  by  the 
old  masters,  of  great  value  and  beauty,  before  several  of  which 
artists  were  occupied  in  making  copies.  Here  is  the  far- 
famed  Madonna  delta  Seggiola  of  Raphael,  the  last  picture 
reluctantly  restored  by  the  French  on  the  dissolution  of  Na- 
poleon's Gallery.  Andrea  del  Sarto,  whose  pictures  in 
Rome  look  black  and  gloomy,  here  appears  in  splendid  co- 
lour, for  he  was  a  native  of  Florence,  and  executed  his 
best  works  for  the  Medici  family  and  various  churches. 

The  splendid  Judith  and  the  miracle  of  The  drowned 
Youth,  by  Christopher  Allori,  and  the  Ecce  Homo,  by  Ci- 
goli,  prove  that  Florence  possessed  two  masters  in  colouring 
whose  names  are  scarcely  known  elsewhere.  Here,  too,  the 
Conspiracy  of  Catiline,  and  great  battle-pieces  and  land- 
scapes, show  the  master-genius  of  Salvator  Rosa :  Rubens, 
Titian,  Vandyke,  Paul  Veronesse,  Guido  Reni,  Fra  Barto- 
lomeo,  and  a  long  succession  of  great  names  whose  works  en- 
tirely cover  the  walls  of  about  twenty  rooms,  justify  the 
traveller  in  the  conclusion  that  this  is  the  richest  gallery 
of  pictures  in  the  world.  During  six  months  that  1  was  oc- 
cupied in  copying  there,  I  had  opportunities  of  hearing  this 
judgment  pronounced  by  travellers  of  all  nations. 

In  a  small  room  we  were  shown  eight  pictures,  executed 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


209 


in  the  kind  of  mosaic  which  is  peculiar  to  Florence ;  being 
composed  of  sections  of  stones,  selected  for  their  tints  and 
shades,  appropriating  the  accidental  stains,  splotches  and 
veins  of  all  kinds  of  agates,  jaspers,  and  precious  stones,  as  the 
materials  for  representing  colours,  lines,  lights  and  shadows, 
in  the  composition  of  pictures;  comprising  groups  of  figures, 
furniture,  buildings,  &c.  which  have  been  wrought  with  great 
taste,  skill,  arid  patience;  but  with  materials  so  rare  and  cost- 
ly, selections  so  tedious,  and  execution  so  elaborate,  that  they 
are  placed  beyond  the  reach  of  ordinary  purchasers.  The 
greater  number,  and  probably  the  very  best,  have  been  exe- 
cuted for  the  rich  princes  of  Tuscany.  Besides  these  pic- 
tures, there  are  many  large  tables,  in  the  various  rooms  of  this 
palace,  representing  shells,  flowers,  and  arabesques,  executed 
in  this  style,  enriched  with  lapis  lazuli,  rubies,  emeralds, 
and  other  precious  stones — all  ground  to  one  level,  highly  po- 
lished, and  supported  by  sculptured  brass.  One  of  these  ta- 
bles is  in  the  National  Gallery,  which  occupied  twenty  men 
during  sixteen  years  in  making,  and  cost  eighty  thousand  dol- 
lars, exclusive  of  the  materials,  the  value  of  which  cannot  be 
estimated. 

Although  this  is  distant  from  the  old  palace,  which  is  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  the  two  are  connected  by  a  co- 
vered gallery,  which  you  may  trace  along  the  quay  and  over 
the  bridge  above  the  shops;  whence  it  proceeds  unseen  amidst 
the  houses  until  it  reaches  the  ducal  residence. 

The  Boboli  Gardens,  back  of  the  palace,  are  open  to  the 
public  every  Sunday  and  Thursday,  and  are  extensive  enough 
to  accommodate  the  whole  population  of  Florence,  though 
but  a  small  proportion  seem  disposed  to  enjoy  the  privilege, 
preferring  the  concentrated  passages  of  the  city,  where  they 
can  make  a  more  effective  exhibition  of  themselves.  No 
part  of  these  walks  possesses  the  charm  of  scenery  which  is 
produced  by  the  picturesque  manner  of  laying  out  the  grounds 
in  England;  but  they  are  so  extensive,  comprise  such  noble 
avenues  of  aged  cypress  and  hemlock,  terminating  in  grand 

27 


210 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


perspectives  of  fountains  and  statues,  and  command  such  a 
delightful  view  of  Florence  and  its  neighbourhood,  sprinkled 
with  villas,  and  the  rich  level  valley  of  the  Arno  bounded  by- 
distant  blue  mountains,  among  which  the  sun  is  often  seen  to 
set  in  all  its  golden  glory,  that  they  are  much  resorted  to  by 
artists  and  persons  of  taste,  who  rejoice  in  their  vicinity  and 
delight  in  their  solitudes.  A  part  of  the  grounds  is  devoted 
to  extensive  and  well  arranged  botanic  gardens  and  green- 
houses connected  with  the  Museum  of  Natural  History. 

The  entrance  to  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  is  not 
far  from  the  royal  palace,  and  has  nothing  striking  in  its  ex- 
terior, as  it  seems  to  be  a  variety  of  old  houses  gradually  im- 
proved into  commodious  and  well-lighted  chambers  and  gal- 
leries, most  of  which  have  excellent  skylights. 

The  first  rooms  into  which  you  enter  exhibit  a  complete  sys- 
tem of  human  anatomy,  of  the  natural  size,  executed  in  wax. 
Most  of  these  models  of  anatomical  preparations  are  of  the 
greatest  perfection,  in  scientific  knowledge  and  accuracy  of 
imitation,  showing  every  bone,  muscle,  tendon,  artery,  vein, 
nerve,  and  organ,  separately  and  collectively,  up  to  the  whole 
form;  of  which  there  are  six  entire  figures.  One  of  these, 
exhibiting  the  external  muscles,  veins,  arteries,  and  nerves, 
is  an  object  of  the  most  extraordinary  beauty  and  perfection; 
not  only  by  reason  of  its  anatomical  accuracy,  but  the  exqui- 
site proportion  of  its  parts,  and  the  sublimity  and  grace  of  its 
posture,  appearing  as  if  it  were  a  living  man,  divested  of  his 
skin  and  fat,  and  enabled  by  the  Divine  Power  to  display, 
with  consciousness  of  knowledge,  the  wonders  of  his  own 
conformation;  the  ease  and  grace  of  his  posture  banishing  all 
idea  of  pain  in  the  object,  and  exciting  no  disgust  in  the  be- 
holder. He  reclines  on  a  purple  silk  mattress,  with  drapery 
of  white  silk  and  gauze,  beneath  a  case  of  large  sheets  of 
glass. 

In  adjoining  rooms,  which  are  opened  to  such  as  request 
it,  are  several  female  figures  which  exhibit  the  mysteries  of 
the  human  developement  down  to  the  period  of  birth.  A 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


211 


series  of  preparations  likewise  show  the  anatomy  of  other 
animals,  the  calf,  fishes,  &c,  and  especially  the  common 
fowl,  with  the  whole  progress  of  the  egg,  into  the  perfect 
chicken. 

Another  department  contains  birds  of  all  nations  in  glass 
cases,  the  small  ones,  besides,  being  in  bell  glasses,  have 
their  nests  and  eggs  in  drawers  in  front  of  each.  There 
are  well  arranged  collections  of  fishes,  snakes,  lizards, 
shells,  corals,  seeds;  fruit  preserved  in  spirits,  represented 
in  wax  and  in  painting,  flowers  in  wax,  mushrooms,  woods, 
and  an  extensive  and  elegant  collection  of  minerals;  some 
Indian  and  African  curiosities;  one  room  of  quadrupeds; 
and  in  two  others  below  stairs,  not  always  shown,  the  ele- 
phant, hippopotamus,  camel,  zebra,  lion,  &c. 

From  the  descriptions  which  I  had  read,  I  expected  to 
find  the  wax  works  representing  the  plague  which  depopu- 
lated Florence,  large  and  anatomically  correct.  On  the  con- 
trary, they  are  in  three  small  boxes,  each  with  a  sheet  of 
glass  in  front,  and  containing  figures  only  a  few  inches 
long,  arranged  in  groups  to  produce  the  effect  of  pictures, 
and  expressly  calculated  to  excite  horror  in  the  imagina- 
tion rather  than  to  represent  truth.  It  is  a  disgusting  ex- 
aggeration, the  toy  of  a  demon  and  a  gossip's  tale,  in 
comparison  with  the  magnificent  exhibition  of  the  human 
anatomy  in  the  adjoining  rooms. 

The  back  door  of  the  Cabinet  of  Natural  History  opens 
into  the  Botanic  Garden,  which  is  beautifully  located  on 
the  side  of  a  hill,  affording  every  variety  of  situation  for  the 
plants,  shrubs,  and  trees  of  every  country;  and  embellished 
by  terraces,  statuary,  and  fountains. 

The  great  Cathedral  or  Duomo  is  a  heavy  and  enormous 
mass  of  building,  composed  of  alternate  layers  of  black  and 
white  marble,  enriched  with  a  profusion  of  curious  and  fine 
Gothic  work  around  the  doors,  windows,  and  cornices. 
The  Church  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome  is  not  merely  larger, 
but  infinitely  more  elegant;  but  it  is  of  later  construction. 


212 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


This  of  Florence,  when  it  was  finished  two  hundred  and 
thirty  years  ago,  stood  unrivalled  for  magnitude  and  exter- 
nal magnificence:  with  the  exception  of  the  front,  which, 
like  most  of  the  churches  in  this  city,  remains  unfinished. 
The  interior,  without  good  pictures,  statues,  or  monuments, 
is  heavy,  dark,  and  uninteresting.  The  white-washed  walls 
and  dark  stone  pilasters,  contrasting  badly  with  the  rich 
windows  of  coloured  glass.  At  the  celebration  of  high 
masses,  the  organ  and  band  of  musicians,  high  on  one  of 
the  octangular  sides,  produce  a  mighty  but  unmusical  noise, 1 
owing  to  irregular  reverberations. 

Near  it  stands  the  Belfry ',  called  the  gem  of  architec- 
ture, designed  by  Giotto  the  painter.  It  is  forty-eight  feet 
square,  and  two  hundred  and  seventy-six  feet  high;  as  large 
at  top  as  at  bottom,  built  of  variously  coloured  marbles, 
and  exquisitely  ornamented  to  the  very  top,  where  the 
marble,  remaining  clear,  shows  its  beauty. 

Opposite  the  Cathedral  is  the  Jintient  baptistery  of  St. 
John,  an  ugly,  octagonal  building,  five  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  years  old,  of  black  and  white  marble.  It  is  ornamented 
on  three  sides,  with  bronze  statues;  and  three  pairs  of  mag- 
nificent sculptured  bronze  doors;  of  which  the  central  pair, 
by  Ghiberti,  is  so  beautiful,  that  Michael  Angelo  said  they 
were  worthy  to  be  the  gates  of  paradise.  In  panels  about 
three  feet  square,  the  sculptured  histories  are  represented 
by  figures,  some  of  which  project  in  full  relief  from  the 
base.  They  have  been  modelled  with  much  spirit  and  cha- 
racter; but,  being  generally  covered  with  dust,  are  seen  to 
less  advantage  than  the  plaster  of  Paris  copies  which  are 
preserved  in  the  Academy  of  drawing.  These  doors,  weigh- 
ing, probably  with  the  casings,  thirty-four  thousand  pounds, 
cost  forty-six  thousand  two  hundred  dollars.  The  interior 
is  ornamented  with  ancient  mosaics  of  no  beauty,  and  poor 
statues  in  stucco,  except  one  in  marble  of  St.  John,  above 
the  baptismal  font,  at  which  all  the  children  are  baptized 
and  registered. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


213 


Near  this  spot  commences  a  series  of  little  streets,  ex- 
tending in  all  directions,  which  are  used  as  market  places; 
many  of  the  houses  serving  permanently  as  market  shops, 
and  the  streets  are  lined  on  both  sides  with  little  stalls  and 
baskets,  for  the  sale  of  every  thing  that  can  be  eaten.  These 
streets,  convenient  as  they  may  be  at  an  early  hour  of  the 
day,  yet  are  always  wet  and  muddy;  and  exhibit  towards 
noon,  a  scene  of  garbage  and  filth  equally  offensive  to  both 
capital  senses,  and  tending  to  prejudice  the  purchaser  against 
such  articles  as  remain  unsold.  Yet  in  the  same  neighbour- 
hood, there  stands  a  noble  market  house,  whose  lofty  roof, 
around  and  within,  is  supported  by  stone  columns,  which 
would  afford  an  airy  accommodation  to  a  great  number  of 
food  mongers;  but  it  is  occupied  by  venders  of  crockery  and 
wooden  ware.  Here  may  be  purchased,  neatly  tied  up  in 
small  bundles,  the  straw  prepared  for  making  bonnets, 
which  females,  every  where,  even  in  the  streets,  are  plait- 
ing and  sewing  into  form.  Every  Friday  the  hats  are 
brought  here  for  sale,  and  especially  Good  Friday,  the 
place  is  thronged  with  country  people,  with  their  hands 
full  of  hats. 

The  Church  of  Santa  Croce  is  a  vast,  unfinished  build- 
ing, and  considered  as  the  Westminster  Abbey  of  Florence, 
from  its  possessing  the  tombs  of  a  few  distinguished  men. 
Although  it  was  designed  to  ornament  a  large  square  or 
piazza,  its  whole  front  remains  a  rude  mass  of  unfashioned 
brick,  which  it  was  intended  to  incrust  with  black  and 
white  marble.  The  interior  is  a  plain  hall,  with  timber 
ceiling  of  great  height.  As  you  enter,  the  distant  altar  of 
golden  tabernacles,  the  pilasters  and  arches,  rising  in  front 
of  a  lofty  recess,  filled  with  carvings  and  paintings,  and 
lighted  by  tall  windows  of  coloured  glass,  produce  a  singu- 
larly rich  effect,  and  show  the  superior  style  of  magnifi- 
cence in  which  it  was  intended  to  have  completed  the  edi- 
fice. Many  other  windows  on  the  front  and  sides  are  of 
coloured  glass  of  the  richest  hues,  executed  to  represent 


214 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


scripture  scenes.  But  they  shine  on  plaster  walls,  unfi- 
nished pilasters,  and  a  rough  pavement  of  brick  embedded 
with  marble  monumental  slabs.  The  church  is  full  of  cu- 
rious old  chapels  and  altars,  painting  and  statuary;  but  the 
objects  which  chiefly  attract  visiters,  are  the  monuments 
which  cover  the  mortal  remains  of  Michael  Angelo,  Gali- 
leo, Alfieri,  and  others.  A  monument  to  Dante,  paid  for 
by  subscription,  is  now  erecting.  That  of  Angelo,  beneath 
his  bust,  shows  the  honorary  tribute  of  three  sculptors,  by 
means  of  figures,  sitting  on  the  edge  of  the  pedestal,  which 
represent  painting,  sculpture,  and  architecture.  The  other 
monuments  possess  little  interest,  and  the  one  by  Canova  to 
the  memory  of  Alfieri,  is  a  specimen  of  his  early,  stiff  and 
formal  manner.  Connected  with  the  church  are  extensive 
buildings  and  courts  of  the  Monastery  of  St.  Croce.  I 
ranged  through  the  silent  cloisters,  containing  some  curious 
old  carvings,  but  no  paintings — entered  an  open  door,  which 
led  into  a  great  corridor,  flanked  on  both  sides  like  a  hos- 
pital, with  doors  opening  into  the  cells  of  the  monks,  not 
one  of  whom  was  seen  gliding  through  the  twilight  gloom — 
and  felt  no  disposition  to  linger  amid  such  solitude. 

The  piazza  is  ornamented  with  a  fountain,  and  the  cen- 
tral enclosure  accommodated  with  a  vast  circuit  of  stone 
benches.  On  certain  holidays,  it  is  the  fashion  to  drive 
round  this  square.  Fronting  this  place  is  a  house,  which 
being  in  the  year  1619  the  residence  of  the  chief  of  the 
academy  of  painting,  was  covered  over  its  whole  front  with 
fresco  paintings,  done  by  seven  of  the  best  artists  of  the 
time,  and  sixteen  of  their  pupils.  Though  faded  and  da- 
maged, they  still  exhibit  some  excellent  work,  consisting 
of  distinct  pictures  between,  above  and  below  all  the  win- 
dows. Many  other  houses  in  Florence  show  the  faded  re- 
mains of  this  species  of  decoration,  which  was  adopted  soon 
after  the  introduction  of  the  arts  from  Greece.  At  one 
corner  of  this  piazza,  I  remarked  the  name  of  Via  del  Di- 
luvia,  and  a  horizontal  line  about  twelve  feet  above  the 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


215 


ground,  with  an  inscription  stating  that  on  the  13th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1557,  the  water  had  risen  to  that  height;  by  which 
the  greater  part  of  Florence  must  have  been  inundated. 

The  streets  in  this  part  of  the  city  are  generally  straight, 
but  narrow  and  ill-built;  presenting  irregular  masses  of  rough 
plastered  brick  work,  without  any  architectural  character, 
and  not  at  all  calculated  to  confirm  the  reputation  which 
Florence  has  obtained  as  the  "  Beautiful."  This  title,  in- 
deed is  entirely  owing  to  the  beautiful  appearance  of  the 
neighbouring  hills  and  country  seats,  and  the  interior  splen- 
dour of  her  palaces  and  gallaries  of  pictures. 

In  returning  towards  the  Duomo,  my  attention  was  arrest- 
ed by  an  old  dark  wall,  about  forty  feet  high,  forming  an  en- 
tire square,  with  a  curious  little  entrance  in  the  centre  of  one 
side;  this  was  a  doorway  of  massive,  dark,  and  greasy  stone, 
about  four  feet  high,  and  only  wide  enough  for  one  person 
at  a  time,  stooping,  to  enter;  a  melancholy  Bust  of  Christ 
is  on  one  side,  and  a  dolorous  Bust  of  the  Virgin  on  the 
other,  with  the  inscription  oportet  misereri.  It  is  now  a 
prison  for  the  confinement  of  wretched  debtors,  but  in  the 
time  of  the  republic,  the  inhabitants  of  a  neighbouring  cas- 
tle, having  rebelled,  were  all  confined  within  these  walls; 
and  as  they  entered,  being  compelled  to  stoop,  received  on 
their  backs  the  humiliating  blows  of  a  guard. 

Near  these  walls  is  a  strong,  dark,  iron  coloured  prison, 
which  was  formerly  the  castle  and  residence  of  the  eight  go- 
vernors of  Florence.  The  walls  of  the  building  within  the 
court,  are  oddly  covered  with  the  coats  of  arms  of  successive 
governors,  cut  in  stone,  and  fastened  up  with  irons  for  the 
gratification  of  heraldic  antiquarians. 

I  had  heard  that  there  was  a  fine  organ  in  the  Church  of 
San  Spirito,  which  discoursed  eloquent  music  every  Sunday 
morning.  With  this  expectation  I  entered  that  edifice,  which, 
for  its  architecture,  is  considered  one  of  the  finest  iA  Flo- 
rence. During  the  performance  of  high  mass,  the  organ, 
struck  by  a  vigorous  hand,  was  sending  forth  loud  peals,  and 


216 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


thundering  sounds,  which  rolled  and  reverberated  among 
the  vaulted  aisles  and  cupolas.  The  organ  evidently  was 
good,  and  its  situation  in  the  church  favourable  for  the  length- 
ened propagation  of  its  tones;  but  the  performer  struck  the 
keys  with  a  rapidity  which  may  be  necessary  on  the  forte- 
piano,  to  produce  a  continuity  of  sound,  but  is  totally  incon- 
sistent with  the  steady  utterance  of  the  organ,  when  its  keys 
are  pressed  by  fingers  instructed  in  the  nature  of  its  breath- 
ing chords.  It  was  the  ordinary  style  of  rapid  and  noisy 
fingering  which  it  was  my  misfortune  to  hear  so  generally  in 
Italy,  but  the  enchanting  strains  of  the  heavenly  Miserere, 
in  St.  Peter's  at  Rome,  had  taught  me  that  there  was  better 
music  sometimes  practised,  and  I  patiently  waited  the  change. 
I  amused  myself  in  examining  the  granite  columns  which 
support  the  numerous  arches  of  the  vaulted  aisles;  the  im- 
mense height  of  the  nave;  the  brilliant  draperies  of  the 
humble  apostles  on  the  painted  glass;  the  richly  carved  ca- 
nopy of  the  high  altar;  the  copy  of  Buonarotti's  Mother 
and  Christ,  from  St.  Peter's,  lamenting  the  wretched  taste 
which  could  spoil  the  simplicity  of  this  beautiful  work,  by 
crowning  the  virgin  with  glittering  silver,  and  hanging  around 
her  neck  a  quantity  of  beads  and  silver  hearts.  Meanwhile, 
the  number  of  expecting  amateurs  had  increased,  and  at  the 
elevation  of  the  host,  we  were  gratified  by  a  most  enchant- 
ing strain,  from  another  and  more  feeling  hand;  combining 
the  speaking  tones  of  the  vox  humana,  the  hautboy,  clario- 
net, and  trumpet  stops,  in  extraordinary  perfection;  their 
fine,  deep,  and  varying  pulsations,  agitated  the  bosom  with 
the  most  delightful  sensations. 

In  the  church  of  the  Carmine,  it  is  not  difficult  to  pass 
the  numerous  dingy  altar-pieces  which  line  its  sides,  to  reach 
a  remote  corner,  where  there  are  preserved  two  fresco  paint- 
ings by  Massacio.  The  heads  in  this  picture,  of  five  hun- 
dred years  preservation,  show  great  truth  both  of  character 
and  of  colouring;  but  little  skill  or  knowledge  is  to  be  dis- 
covered in  the  drawing  and  arrangement  of  the  figures. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


217 


They  are  venerated  as  the  early  efforts  of  the  art;  but  it  is 
too  common  to  praise  them  and  study  from  them  as  if  no- 
thing better  had  been  done  since. 

The  grand  duke  is  said  to  be  the  richest  sovereign  in  Eu- 
rope, and  yet  he  is  contented  to  increase  his  revenues  by  the 
disgraceful  operation  of  a  lottery,  which  draws  every  three 
months.  As  this  occurs  directly  under  the  windows  of  the 
National  Gallery,  I  could  not  but  remark  the  pomp  and  ce- 
remonies which  were  employed  to  give  importance  to  the 
transaction.  Preparations  had  been  several  days  making,  in 
erecting  a  temporary  .balcony,  decorated  with  paintings  of 
figures  and  draperies.  At  noon,  a  great  concourse  of  people 
had  assembled  in  the  place,  military  guards  formed  a  semi- 
circle around  the  throne,  a  band  of  musicians  struck  up  a 
lively  air,  and  the  judges  took  their  seats,  the  principal 
clothed  in  a  rich  robe  of  yellow  and  red.  Clerks  on  each 
side  presented  and  exhibited  the  numbers  as  they  were  put 
into  the  wheel  by  two  little  boys,  gaily  dressed  in  white  with 
an  antique  frock  of  scarlet,  which  gave  them  the  appearance 
of  royal  pages.  The  five  important  tickets  were  drawn  by 
one  of  the  little  pages,  blindfolded,  out  of  an  oval  vessel  of 
wire  work,  which  was  made  to  revolve  by  cranks  with  an 
eccentric  motion.  The  people  received  the  communication 
of  each  drawn  number  with  acclamations,  and  the  band  per- 
formed a  lively  tune.  As  soon  as  the  five  numbers  were 
drawn,  which  settled  the  hopes  and  fears  of  so  many  idle  ad- 
venturers, the  whole  multitude,  whose  faces  had  been  direct- 
ed towards  the  important  tribunal,  in  an  instant  turned  round 
and  quietly-  dispersed.  In  a  few  hours  the  whole  scenery 
was  removed,  to  be  replaced  after  another  three  months. 

The  church  of  San  Lorenzo,  whose  rough  unfinished 
front  of  ragged  brick  is  most  uninviting,  is  a  large,  venerable, 
and  privileged  church,  well  filled  with  ceremonious  offi- 
cers. The  sacristy,  though  of  a  plain  and  barren  architec- 
ture, is  highly  interesting,  as  containing  several  of  the  works 
of  Michael  Angelo.    At.  opposite  sides  of  the  chamber  are 

28 


218 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


two  monuments,  one  to  Guilielmo  de  Medici,  and  the  other 
to  Lorenzo  de  Medici  j  each  represented  by  a  noble  statue 
seated,  and  in  correct  costume,  displaying  the  dignity,  grace, 
and  nature,  for  which  Buonarotti  was  so  justly  celebrated. 
Below  these  statues  lie  great  colossal  figures,  intended  to  re- 
present Day  and  Night,  without  repose  in  one  or  brilliancy 
in  the  other;  Day -break  and  Twilight,  which  are  indeed 
dimly  seen,  are  unfinished,  and  though  displaying  bold  out- 
lines and  vigorous  execution,  not  calculated  to  add  any  thing 
to  the  reputation  of  their  author.  In  front  of  a  third  side 
of  the  room,  seated  on  a  pedestal,  is  a  colossal  figure  of  the 
Madonna  and  Child,  blocked  out  in  a  rough  way,  but  de- 
signed with  such  simplicity,  grace  and  dignity,  as  to  justify 
the  belief  that  it  was  intended  to  have  been  his  master  piece. 
The  sprawling  and  common  place  figures,  attached  to  the 
two  beautiful  statues  of  the  Medici,  had  scarcely  any  power 
to  arrest  my  attention,  only  as  they  were  really  from  the 
hands  of  the  great  sculptor;  but  this  unfinished  Mother  of 
the  Saints  and  the  Infant  Saviour,  it  was  impossible  to 
gaze  upon,  without  continual  exclamations  of  admiration. 

With  some  difficulty  having  found  the  custode,  I  obtained 
entrance  into  the  unfinished  Chapel  of  the  Princes,  which 
it  is  intended  to  open  into  the  body  of  the  church  behind 
the  great  altar.  It  is  a  large  octagonal  edifice,  begun  two 
hundred  and  twenty-six  years  ago,  and  only  now  advancing 
to  a  finish.  It  is  lined  with  dark,  rich  marbles,  and  precious 
stones,  exquisitely  wrought,  but  producing  a  melancholy  im- 
pression, in  accordance  with  the  heavy  sepulchral  decorations 
to  the  memory  of  its  founder,  Ferdinand  I.,  and  his  suc- 
cessors. At  present  it  has  only  a  rough  brick  pavement, 
upon  which  is  erected  a  scaffolding,  reaching  to  the  lofty 
dome,  nearly  two  hundred  feet  high,  which  Benvenuti  is  now 
engaged  in  painting,  al  fresco,  from  subjects  in  the  old  and 
new  testaments,  in  figures  twenty  feet  in  height.  This  scaf- 
folding is  a  beautiful  piece  of  work,  consisting  of  a  great 
central  column,  composed  of  numerous  timbers,  bound  toge- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


219 


ther  like  an  immense  mast  braced  from  the  bottom,  and 
branching  out  to  the  top,  where  it  supports  a  substantial 
flooring  across  the  entire  base  of  the  dome.  To  this  exalted 
station  the  artist  ascends  in  a  box  like  a  watchman's,  moving 
between  two  upright  series  of  timbers,  and  raised  by  a  wind- 
lass and  strong  ropes.  It  requires  three  minutes  to  as- 
cend and  two  to  descend.  Benvenuti  is  to  receive  from 
the  axand  duke  forty  thousand  dollars,  exclusive  of  the  scaf- 
fold, which  cost  several  thousand  dollars. 

On  the  feast  of  San  Lorenzo  the  streets  appeared  to  be  un- 
usually thronged,  and  as  evening  approached,  the  tide  of  po- 
pulation moved  towards  a  long  street  which  led  from  one  of 
the  city  gates  to  the  church  of  San  Lorenzo.  This  street 
was  gaily  hung  out  with  silk  drapery  from  the  windows,  as 
is  customary  for  holy  processions;  but  now  it  was  in  antici- 
pation of  a  favourite  race,  of  horses  without  riders,  and 
decked  with  fire  crackers  and  balls  with  points  to  spur  them 
on.  The  race  itself  was  but  a  momentary  excitement,  as 
the  poor  ill-looking  horses  passed  rapidly  down  the  opening 
made  for  them  by  the  people  who  crowded  the  street,  whoop- 
ing and  waving  their  handkerchiefs  as  they  passed.  The 
most  interesting  part  of  the  spectacle  consisted  in  the  vast  as- 
semblage of  people,  all  dressed  in  their  holiday  suits.  There 
was  no  appearance  of  gay  and  singular  costume,  as  at  Rome, 
but  the  greatest  neatness  and  propriety,  derived  from  the 
Parisian  modes.  A  little  before  the  race  commenced,  for 
about  half  an  hour,  those  who  were  in  carriages  moved 
regularly  up  and  down  the  street,  to  exhibit  themselves,  ex- 
change salutations,  and  to  see  the  concourse.  There  is  much 
less  of  female  beauty  here  than  at  Rome,  and  for  the  first 
time,  I  saw  some  agreeable  deviations  from  the  prevailing 
moon  faces  and  square  jaws,  both  amongst  the  middling 
classes  in  the  streets,  and  those  who  filled  the  carriages  and 
windows. 

But  the  English  are  permitted  to  treat  themselves  and  the 
Italians  with  a  show  of  true  English  horse  racing,  which  takes 


220 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


place  near  the  city  on  a  beautiful  green  lawn ;  and,  though 
got  up  entirely  by  the  English,  the  grand  duke's  horse  guards 
are  stationed  all  around  the  grounds,  not  only  to  preserve  or- 
der, but  to  give  importance  to  the  entertainment.  Besides 
the  display  of  choice  horses  which  were  to  run,  it  offers  an 
opportunity  for  seeing  all  the  fine  horses  of  Florence,  as  well 
as  their  owners.  An  elevated  stage,  on  the  green,  contained 
a  brilliant  concentration  of  English  ladies,  besides  those  who 
lined  the  road  in  open  carriages ;  and,  to  complete  the  show, 
the  family  of  the  grand  duke  and  that  of  the  king  of  Naples, 
in  six  splendid  carriages,  each  with  six  horses,  took  their  sta- 
tions near  the  goal.  The  performance  of  the  horses  and 
their  gaily  drest  jockey  riders,  was  such  as  to  give  great  sa- 
tisfaction to  the  connoisseurs ;  and  the  whole  scene  was  an 
animated  display  of  movement  and  fashion,  surrounded  by 
princely  groves,  and  under  the  influence  of  a  mild  and  bright 
sky. 

Besides  the  theatres  which  are  in  the  city,  there  is  a  tem- 
porary circus  without  the  walls,  where  horsemanship  and 
feats  of  strength  and  agility  are  occasionally  shown.  It  is 
open  to  the  weather,  but  in  the  fine  season  there  is  little  dan- 
ger of  a  shower.  The  order  and  decorum  observed  in  these, 
and  all  other  popular  places  of  meeting,  is  remarkable,  and 
highly  honourable  to  the  temper  and  habits  of  the  people ; 
they  applaud  with  great  vivacity,  but  seldom  express  any  dis- 
approbation, except  by  inattention  or  talking.  At  the  break- 
ing up  of  any  meeting,  the  people  quietly  disperse,  although 
they  are  always  ready  to  collect  in  crowds  upon  the  smallest 
excitement  which  occurs  in  the  streets,  whether  from  an  ac- 
cident, a  juggler,  or  a  mountebank. 

In  the  public  square  it  is  common,  once  or  twice  a  week, 
to  see  a  quack  doctor,  seated  in  his  chaise  or  gig,  haranguing 
the  crowd,  with  the  most  impassioned  language  and  gestures: 
at  one  corner  of  his  carriage  is  a  banner  consisting  of  a  hideous 
portrait  of  an  old  monk,  from  whom  he  professes  to  have 
learned  his  precious  secrets  in  the  healing  art;  occasionally  he 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


221 


displays  a  book  of  botanical  engravings,  gaily  coloured,  to  show 
his  knowledge  of  nature,  and  his  reliance  on  the  bounty  of 
Providence,  invoking-  frequently  the  name  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin, and  reverently  taking  off  his  hat,  in  which  he  is  imitated 
by  the  faithful  around  him.  At  the  end  of  his  discourse  he 
produces  his  medicines,  which  are  eagerly  bought  by  the  cre- 
dulous. 

Occasionally,  too,  a  dentist  appears,  on  horseback,  with  an 
attendant,  likewise  on  horseback,  who,  in  a  similar  manner, 
but  with  an  eloquence  more  voluble,  and  language  more  re- 
fined, expatiates  on  his  well  known  skill  and  experience ;  and 
then,  to  suit  his  action  to  the  word,  proceeds  to  draw  the 
teeth  gratuitously  of  any  that  may  present  themselves  at  the 
left  side  of  his  horse,  to  the  amount  of  five  or  six.  It  is  sur- 
prising with  what  dexterity  he  performs  the  act,  without 
moving  from  his  saddle.  Afterwards,  if  any  one  wants  the 
assistance  of  the  accomplished  dentist,  he  must  be  sought  at 
his  lodgings. 

Every  Friday  a  great  number  of  peasants  assemble  in  the 
public  square,  which  then  resembles  a  rustic  exchange,  and 
also  at  the  mercato  nuovo,  each  country  man  with  two, 
three,  or  half  a  dozen  undressed  hats,  besides  straw  in  little 
bundles,  prepared  for  plaiting,  which  is  sold  to  the  citizens, 
who  work  them  in  their  private  lodgings,  and  even  as  they 
walk  the  streets.  1  have  seen  poor  women  and  their  children 
industriously  plying  their  fingers  at  this  work,  whilst  they  were 
gratifying  their  taste  with  the  spectacle  of  the  horse  races. 

Yet  there  are  many  poor  persons  in  Florence  who  prefer 
begging  to  plaiting  straw ;  and  a  certain  class,  of  blind  or 
lame,  are  licensed  by  the  government,  and  wear  a  stamped 
medal  badge.  Upon  this  authority  they  make  their  ap- 
proaches and  demands  with  great  assurance,  which,  however, 
is  calculated  to  defeat  their  purpose,  at  least  with  strangers, 
who  are  not  accustomed  to  such  a  peremptory  imposition. 
Every  blind  or  lame  beggar,  however  sturdy  his  frame,  or 
sufficient  his  voice,  acts  by  an  associate,  who  shares  in  the 


222 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


profits  of  the  business ;  and  these  agents,  who  are  of  sound 
and  active  limb,  as  well  as  of  observant  eye,  thus  authorized 
by  the  grand  duke,  and  encouraged  by  a  religion  that  sancti- 
fies beggary,  thrust  out  their  brawny  arms  across  the  passen- 
ger, as  if  to  compel  him  to  purchase  a  free  passage  by  drop- 
ping something  into  the  tin  box  which  is  rattled  before  him. 
On  particular  festivals  they  collect  in  great  numbers  in  the 
frequented  passages ;  where  they  affect  the  greatest  misery, 
and  utter  the  most  horrible  moans.  But,  on  Saturdays,  they 
exercise  the  privilege  of  going  from  store  to  store,  and  even 
ascend  to  private  apartments ;  it  being  customary  to  bestow 
alms  in  anticipation  of  the  wants,  and  to  promote  the  pious 
purposes,  of  the  approaching  Sunday.  A  French  baker  who 
serves  me,  informs  me  that  she  is  obliged  to  cut  up  into  pieces, 
to  distribute  to  the  beggars  who  call  at  her  shop  on  Saturdays, 
at  least  three  pauls  (thirty-two  cents)  worth  of  brown  bread, 
besides  the  white  bread  which  she  is  obliged,  in  conscience,  to 
give  to  the  fat  Capuchin  and  Benedictine  monks  and  other 
religious  orders,  who  make  their  regular  calls. 

Compared  with  Rome,  the  number  of  beggars  is,  indeed, 
small,  yet  it  is  greater  than  might  be  imagined  from  the  in- 
dustry and  prosperity  of  Florence,  and  can  only  be  account- 
ed for  by  referring  the  encouragement  of  it  to  a  religious  im- 
pression, that  it  is  one  of  the  duties  which  the  good  Christian 
must  perform,  who  would  wish  that  treasures  should  be  laid 
up  for  him  in  heaven,  and  who  is  readily  taught  to  believe 
that  he  cannot  put  out  his  money  to  better  interest.  Perhaps 
it  is  this  consideration  that  induces  the  beggar  so  confidently 
to  obtrude  his  services. 

At  the  Feast  of  the  Madonna,  and  on  some  other  occa- 
sions, the  place  around  the  Duomo,  and  the  whole  length  of 
the  street  leading  to  the  Church  of  the  Annunciation,  exhi- 
bit a  great  display  of  furniture,  dry  goods,  and  toys,  spread 
out  on  the  ground  and  on  stalls.  Several  of  these  fairs  are 
held  during  the  year  in  different  parts  of  the  city,  and  the 
goods  being  sold  at  prices  lower  than  usual,  attract  great  num- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


223 


bers  of  customers,  besides  the  throng  of  idle  spectators.  But 
the  evening  before  the  festa,  as  if  the  Madonna  took  plea- 
sure in  such  sport,  the  young  population  appeared  licensed 
to  make  as  much  noise  as  they  could,  with  thousands  of  dis- 
cordant whistles,  earthen  ware  bells ;  roaring,  whooping,  hal- 
looing, and  singing,  as  they  paraded  the  streets  with  paper 
lanterns  attached  to  long  reeds,  little  illuminated  houses,  men 
of  straw,  and  illuminated  baskets,  &c. 

On  another  fair  on  St.  Martin's  day,  besides  the  ordinary 
display  of  goods,  the  coppersmiths  make  a  great  show  of  cop- 
per ware,  which  is  much  used  here;  the  stores  being  deco- 
rated in  a  singular  taste  with  columns,  arches,  turrets,  &c. 
which  are  ingeniously  constructed  by  curious  combinations  of 
pots,  buckets,  and  pans. 

St.  Simon's  day  is  the  feast  of  the  shopkeepers,  who  then 
make  an  unusual  display  of  their  wares.  The  bootmaker 
has  hundreds  of  boots  arranged  in  arches  and  festoons  around 
and  over  his  shop  door,  as  high  as  his  ladder  can  reach.  A 
manufacturer  of  oil  cloth  umbrellas,  near  my  residence,  has 
removed  his  work-benches,  covered  all  his  walls  with  um- 
brellas, suspended  them  in  close  contact  from  the  ceiling, 
faced  the  whole  shop  with  them,  and  displayed  them  by  scores 
on  projecting  poles.  These  coarse  umbrellas  are  used  by 
the  peasants  and  the  poor.  They  are  strongly  made  of  var- 
nished linens  of  various  colours,  and,  instead  of  whalebone, 
have  tough  wrood  and  wire ;  costing  from  one  dollar  to  a  dol- 
lar and  a  half.  During  the  frequent  rains  of  the  autumn  and 
winter  you  see  but  few  poor  persons  without  them  ;  other- 
wise, a  shower  of  rain,  coming  unexpectedly,  in  a  minute 
clears  the  streets. 

The  eve  of  the  Epiphany  is  noticed  in  a  singular  manner. 
It  is  supposed  to  be  the  remnant  of  a  heathen  custom,  in  ho- 
nour of  Bacchus.  The  smut-faced  labourers  of  the  glass- 
houses had  been  all  day  supplying  the  youngsters  with  glass 
trumpets,  nearly  a  yard  in  length,  with  which  a  noise  might 


224 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


be  made  not  unlike  the  braying  of  an  ass.  To  these  was  add- 
ed, as  night  approached,  an  ample  supply  of  rope  and  can- 
vass torches.  The  mercata  nuova  was  the  focus  of  flame, 
smoke,  and  noise.  Piles  of  torches  were  still  selling  by 
torch-light,  and  hampers  of  trumpets,  with  loud  invitations, 
were  surrounded  by  purchasers,  blowing  the  blasts  of  trial, 
or  mixing  in  the  thickening  throng  of  discordant  trumpeters 
of  all  ages,  whose  din  was  mingled  with  the  cries  of  cake  and 
cordial  women,  and  the  screams  and  yells  of  those  who  had 
not  six  cents  to  pay  for  a  trumpet.  From  this  central  spot, 
in  all  directions,  the  torches,  trumpets,  and  yells  spread  over 
the  whole  city,  and  seemed  to  afford  great  delight  to  the  po- 
pulace, who  were  permitted  this  temporary  uproar,  under  the 
strict  observance  of  military  patroles,  whenever  a  hand  car, 
drawn  by  boys,  a  cart  moved  by  a  jaded  jackass,  or  a  coach 
and  pair  of  horses,  decorated  with  evergreens,  paraded  the 
streets,  in  the  glare  of  torches,  and  with  the  din  of  discordant 
trumpets  and  savage  yells,  the  riders  personating  the  charac- 
ters of  Bacchus  and  his  bottle  companions.  We  had  been 
told  that  the  lower  order  of  women  took  part  in  these  mad 
scenes,  but  were  gratified  in  finding  that  the  orgies  were  en- 
tirely performed  by  men  and  boys,  sometimes  dressed  as  wo- 
men. The  whole  ceremony  consisted  in  blaze  and  noise, 
and  calmly  subsided  at  the  usual  bed-time,  about  eleven 
o'clock. 

Florence,  which  boasts  of  being  the  Athens  and  the  Paris 
of  Italy,  is  so  decidedly  devoted  to  the  arts,  that  Lord  Burg- 
hersh,  the  British  ambassador,  seeks  distinction  from  his  ta- 
lent in  musical  composition;  and  his  lady,  with  her  black  silk 
apron,  bearing  marks  of  her  occupation,  is  not  ashamed  of 
being  a  student  of  painting  in  the  public  gallery.  His  lord- 
ship has  recently  composed  a  grand  mass,  which  was  per- 
formed at  his  house  in  elegant  style.  As  is  usual  on  such  oc- 
casions, the  royal  guards  stood  sentinels  at  the  door,  and  the 
visiter,  as  he  mounted  the  ample  flight  of  stairs,  profusely  bor- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


225 


dered  with  flowers  and  shrubbery,  might  have  thought  it  a 
garden,  and  was  strongly  reminded,  even  in  winter,  that  he 
breathed  in  the  city  of  flowers. 

At  an  early  hour  the  company  moved  into  a  large  hall,  fit- 
ted up  as  a  theatre,  the  scenery,  on  this  occasion,  represent- 
ing the  interior  of  a  cathedral.  The  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
amateur  singers,  to  the  number  of  twenty-nine,  were  seated 
on  the  stage,  the  orchestra  was  filled  with  musicians  who  were 
employed,  and  the  company  occupied  benches  that  rose  in 
front.  Six  large  chandeliers  illuminated  this  theatre,  and 
showed  the  company  to  advantage.  The  performance  was 
excellent,  and  the  style  of  the  music  appeared  to  me  to  com- 
bine the  graces  of  the  plaintive  Italian  with  occasional  bursts 
of  German  grandeur,  ending  in  a  peculiarly  impressive  man- 
ner. The  applauses  from  the  connoisseurs  in  music  were  fre- 
quent, and  the  bursts  of  bravo,  at  the  conclusion,  must  have 
been  highly  gratifying  to  the  noble  composer. 

The  company  dispersing  through  numerous  apartments 
decorated  with  a  profusion  of  statues  and  paintings,  had 
the  liberty  of  enjoying  themselves  either  among  the  crowded 
halls,  in  the  quiet  card-rooms  around  the  billiard-table,  in 
the  lively  scene  of  the  ball-room,  or  at  the  tables  which 
were  profusely  furnished  with  every  delicacy  that  could  gra- 
tify the  palate.  The  style  of  dress  here,  like  thaf  at  Rome, 
is  in  the  French  fashion,  and  the  ladies  practise  the  same  con- 
fident air  and  movement  of  the  opera  dancer. 

Although  the  structure  of  the  Italian  language  is  said  to  fa- 
vour the  art  of  extemporaneous  versification,  the  powers  dis- 
played by  improvisatori  of  the  highest  rank,  are  considered 
by  literary  Italians  as  among  the  most  interesting  exhibitions 
that  occasionally  take  place,  for  it  is  but  occasionally  that 
this  enjoyment  is  offered.  Rosa  Taddei,  of  Naples,  is  the 
most  distinguished  improvisatrice  of  the  day.  Her  perfor- 
mances take  place  at  the  principal  theatre,  two  or  three  times 
on  a  visit,  with  the  interval  of  several  days.  1  was  fortunate 
in  adding  one  to  a  very  full  house,  whose  sole  expectations 

29 


226 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


of  entertainment  were  derived  from  her  engagement  to  utter 
unpremeditated  verses. 

When  the  curtain  rose,  the  scene  was  that  of  a  parlour, 
with  an  open  piano,  at  which  a  professor  of  music  was  seat- 
ed. On  the  entrance  of  Rosa  Taddei,  she  was  greeted  with 
loud  applause  by  her  old  friends  and  confiding  expectants. 
She  appeared  to  be  about  thirty  years  of  age,  and,  though 
small,  her  uncorsetted  chest  gave  ample  space  for  the  impor- 
tant action  of  her  powerful  lungs.  She  was  dressed  as  a  pri- 
vate lady.  Her  pale  face  indicated  a  studious  life,  but  her 
forehead  was  low  and  narrow,  though  her  head  was  broad; 
her  little  sunken  eye  was  quick  in  its  movements,  and  when 
it  looked  intently  out,  to  fashion  the  measure  of  a  thought, 
was  accompanied  by  a  slight  contraction  of  the  brow  that 
banished  all  suspicion  of  coquetry.  Her  nose  was  small,  and 
her  mouth  would  be  called  ordinary;  but  when  it  was  about 
to  speak,  it  quivered  delicately  with  the  rising  emotion,  and 
varied  its  expression  according  to  the  passion  of  her  dis- 
course. 

A  servant  now  advances  to  the  front  of  the  stage,  holding 
a  little  casket,  destined  to  receive  the  papers  which  are  hand- 
ed from  different  parts  of  the  house,  containing  subjects  pro- 
posed for  recitation.  When  about  forty  of  these  are  received, 
the  casket  is  placed  on  a  side  table.  Without  reading  them 
she  folds  and  returns  them  to  the  casket.  This  is  an  operation 
of  some  time,  and  serves  to  give  the  appearance  of  business 
and,  perhaps,  composure  to  the  performer.  Advancing  to 
the  side  boxes  and  orchestra,  she  offers  successively  to  diffe- 
rent persons  the  casket,  out  of  which,  each  time,  a  paper 
is  drawn  and  presented  to  her.  With  a  grave,  deliberate, 
and  emphatic  voice  she  reads  the  theme  proposed.  If  the 
subject  is  hackneyed,  dull,  or  unfit,  a  lamentable  and  deep- 
toned  ah !  synonymous  with  our  bah !  is  heard  from  various 
parts  of  the  house;  on  which  she  tears  up  the  paper  with 
an  impressive  look,  which  seems  to  say — such  is  your  plea- 
sure.   When  six  or  seven  subjects  are  approved  by  the  cries 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


227 


of  yes,  yes,  she  places  them  on  her  side  table,  selects  one, 
and,  advancing  to  the  piano,  decides  upon  a  musical  harmo- 
ny, which  the  professor  immediately  begins  to  play,  and  con- 
tinues delicately ;  during  which  she  walks  in  measured  steps 
across  the  stage  backwards  and  forwards,  looking  earnestly 
down,  occasionally  pausing,  sometimes  raising  her  hand  to 
her  mouth  or  forehead.  The  crowded  house  is  silent  as 
death,  and  she  is  only  influenced  by  the  measure  of  the  mu- 
sic and  the  arrangement  of  her  unseen  materials  of  thought. 
This  being  completed,  she  suddenly  advances,  and  begins  writh 
a  burst  of  language,  in  which  she  continues  with  unhesitating 
volubility  and  moderate  action,  occasionally  uttering  some 
fine  expression  that  draws  forth  from  experienced  critics  an 
approving  bravo !  It  was  to  be  remarked,  that  as  she  ad- 
vanced to  the  termination  of  every  line,  couplet,  or  stanza, 
according  to  the  compass  of  the  sentiment,  there  was  a  dwel- 
ling on  the  syllables  and  a  monotonous  chanting,  very  much 
resembling  the  cadence  of  a  quaker  preacher;  thereby  per- 
mitting her  thoughts  to  advance  and  fashion  the  commence- 
ment of  the  following  line,  couplet,  or  stanza,  which  was  al- 
ways eagerly  and  expressively  pronounced  at  its  commence- 
ment, and  as  regularly  terminated  in  the  thought-resolving 
chant. 

Among  the  subjects  which  she  treated,  some  of  which  she 
began  with  little  preparation,  were  the  following: — The  dis- 
coveries of  Galileo  and  Columbus,  and  the  ingratitude  of 
their  country;  two  Doctors,  a  Lawyer  and  Jealous  Woman ; 
a  Lawyer's  Inkhorn ;  and  a  Dialogue  between  the  Dome  of 
St.  Peter  and  the  Dome  of  Florence.  This  last  appeared  to 
perplex  her  a  little,  and  it  was  some  time  before  she  could 
fashion  it  to  her  mind ;  indeed,  there  was  an  expectation, 
from  the  frequency  of  her  turns  across  the  stage,  and  her  con- 
tracted brow,  that  she  would  be  obliged  to  acknowledge  a 
failure  ;  but  when  she  advanced,  and  began  in  elegant  strains 
to  state  the  difficult  nature  of  the  singular  task  imposed  on 
her,  to  give  tongues  to  the  domes  so  long  silent,  and  listen  to 


228 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


so  distant  a  dialogue  between  the  Duomo,  the  boast  of  Flo- 
rence, and  the  Dome  of  St.  Peter's,  suspended  in  mid  air  by 
the  divine  Buonarotti ;  and  then,  with  increasing  enthusiasm, 
made  them  recount,  in  strains  of  honourable  emulation,  the 
great  events  of  which  they  had  been  the  witnesses,  the  de- 
light of  the  audience  knew  no  bounds  in  the  thundering  repe- 
titions of  bravo  ! 

Some  of  the  pieces  she  composed  with  terminating  words, 
suggested  by  acclamation  from  the  audience  as  she  proceed- 
ed ;  other  pieces  were  so  conceived  as  to  introduce  a  parti- 
cular word  into  every  stanza,  proposed  by  any  voice  at  its 
commencement.  It  was  a  singular  and  interesting  exhibi- 
tion, in  which  a  little  feeble  woman,  during  a  whole  eve- 
ning, could  afford  the  most  refined  entertainment  to  a  crowd- 
ed theatre.  Such  is  the  homage  paid  to  mental  superio- 
rity. 

The  carnival  at  Florence  is  said  to  be  inferior  to  that  at 
Rome.  It  is  certainly  less  gay,  but  more  noisy  than  at  Paris. 
During  forty  days  previous  to  the  commencement  of  lent, 
many  persons  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  going  about  masked ; 
but  the  amusement  became  general  only  during  the  last  three 
days,  when  the  whole  city,  with  a  vast  increase  from  a  popu- 
lous vicinity,  gave  themselves  up  to  the  follies  and  extrava- 
gancies of  fantastic  dresses  and  pasteboard  faces,  and,  what 
the  Florentines  seem  to  enjoy  above  all  things,  outrageous 
noise.  The  fashionable  walk  on  the  river-side,  and  the  ar- 
cades under  the  National  Gallery,  were  the  chief  places  of 
resort,  and  attracted  such  crowds  that  it  was  difficult  to  move 
against  the  current,  notwithstanding  its  good  humour  and  de- 
corum— military  guards  preventing  the  ingress  of  the  popu- 
lace. As  usual,  the  opera  house,  disembarrassed  of  benches 
and  scenery,  and  arranged  in  splendid  style,  with  abundant 
illumination,  was  opened  to  dancing  and  masking.  The  royal 
family  were  present  in  their  boxes,  and  the  grand  duke,  to 
show  his  confidence  in  his  people,  made  a  circuit  of  all  the 
rooms.    It  was  worthy  of  remark,  during  this  royal  squeeze, 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


2€9 


that,  although  the  grand  duke  was  not  masked,  and  literally 
elbowed  through  the  crowd,  that  by  a  general  sentiment  of 
propriety  he  was  considered  incognito;  and  men  that  were 
accustomed  to  bow  at  a  distance  to  their  sovereign,  were  now 
privileged,  with  their  hats  on,  to  stare  at  him  unceremoni- 
ously. 

The  highest  ground  within  the  city  of  Florence  is  that  on 
which  rises  the  fortress  called  Belvedere,  whose  extensive 
ramparts  immediately  overlook  the  Boboli  gardens,  the  Ducal 
palace,  and  all  the  city.  The  streets  on  this  hill  are  very 
steep,  but  the  rest  of  the  city  is  a  dead  level.  A  beautiful 
view  of  Florence  is  to  be  found  from  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
outside  of  the  gate  leading  to  Leghorn.  It  is  covered  with 
villas,  gardens,  vineyards,  and  olive  plantations,  and  over- 
looks the  city,  commanding  a  distant  view  of  the  palace,  the 
Duomo,  and  other  principal  buildings,  and  in  the  distance 
the  mountain  village  of  Fiesole  and  its  neighbouring  hills. 

The  Gate  of  St.  Nicholas  leads  you  directly  up  a  steep 
road  to  the  church  and  convent  of  St.  Francis.  Every 
few  paces  there  is  a  stone  pedestal  and  steps  to  sit  or  kneel 
on,  surmounted  with  a  cross.  Perhaps  it  was  judicious  to 
establish  these  stations,  as  they  are  called,  as  breathing 
places,  to  rest  or  pray  at,  in  ascending  the  steep  mount,  es- 
pecially for  the  convenience  of  old  persons.  These  crosses 
reach  entirely  to  the  church,  surround  the  door,  and  line 
the  aisles  within.  It  belongs  to  a  confraternity  of  Fran- 
ciscans, whose  mendicant  occupation  gives  countenance  to 
several  old  women  who  cross  your  way  on  the  hill,  and 
demand  your  alms  with  a  pious  resolution  of  compelling 
you  to  the  purchase  of  grace.  Near  this,  stands  an  an- 
cient wall,  enclosing  a  monastic  establishment,  which  pos- 
sesses a  square  tower,  said  to  be  designed  by  Michael  An- 
gelo.  We  approached  the  antique  gate,  overgrown  with 
ivy;  its  iron-covered  doors  were  wide  open,  and  where 
was  formerly  a  portcullis,  is  now  only  a  peaceful  archway. 
Loop  holes  still  remain  open  at  each  side,  but  there  was 


230 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


nothing  to  molest  our  approach,  nor  visible  signs  of  mor- 
tal habitation.  From  these  places  the  eye  commands  beau- 
tiful views  of  Florence,  which  lies  close  below;  the  level 
vale  through  which  the  Arno  winds,  spreads  out  in  the  dis- 
tance to  the  boundary  of  mountains  that  encircle  the  whole 
horizon. 

Immediately  outside  the  gate  that  leads  to  Rome,  a  long 
avenue  of  aged  cypress  and  other  fine  trees  invite  attention 
to  one  of  the  many  country  seats  of  the  grand  duke.  The 
road  is  a  gentle  ascent  for  nearly  a  mile,  perfectly  straight, 
and  kept  in  the  most  careful  repair;  so  that  it  is  much  fre- 
quented as  a  promenade.  A  low  stone  wall,  or  border, 
finishes  the  bank,  where  it  is  cut  away  on  both  sides.  Be- 
fore reaching  the  top,  on  turning  round  and  looking  down, 
you  have  a  brilliant  view  of  part  of  the  city,  with  the 
mountain  rising  beyond,  beautifully  contrasted  with  the 
dark  cypresses  which  form  the  towering  sides  of  a  descend- 
ing perspective.  The  villa  is  in  an  elegant  style  of  con- 
struction, but  unfinished,  and  contains  some  good  paintings 
and  statuary. 

At  an  opposite  extremity  of  the  city,  the  Castle  of  St. 
John  is  a  regular  fortification,  but  dismantled  of  almost  all 
its  cannon.  You  enter  a  dark,  antiquated,  central  tower, 
and  walk  under  immense  vaults,  lighted  by  distant  open- 
ings or  passages,  till  you  reach  the  interior  level,  which 
contains  quite  a  town  of  barracks,  all  occupied  by  soldiery. 
The  walls  on  the  bulwarks,  overlook  a  delightful  country 
of  gardens,  vineyards,  country  seats,  and  ranges  of  moun- 
tains; and  all  around  the  beautiful  level  of  the  fosse  or 
ditch,  affords  excellent  places  for  athletic  games,  shaded  by 
rows  of  trees  and  paths  for  walking. 

But  the  fashionable  place  of  resort,  especially  for  the 
equipages  of  the  Florentine  and  English  nobility,  is  on  the 
grounds  laid  out  for  a  promenade,  both  for  walking  and 
riding,  at  the  lower  end  of  the  city,  commencing  outside 
the  gate,  and  extending  a  great  distance  down  the  river; 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


231 


with  all  the  delightful  embellishments  of  groves,  avenues, 
shrubbery,  terraces,  lawns,  hedges,  roads,  paths,  fountains, 
and  seats.  In  the  midst  of  these  is  a  neat  building  for  the 
grand  duke,  when  he  chooses  to  spend  any  time  here.  It 
is  called  the  cascina,  or  cow-farm,  and  really  produces,  for 
the  royal  benefit,  the  finest  milk  and  butter  in  the  Floren- 
tine market.  I  have  met  the  sovereign  Duke  in  his  usual 
plain  suit  of  black  as  a  private  gentleman,  and  the  Duchess 
as  a  plain  gentlewoman,  walking  in  these  grounds,  without 
any  guards  or  attendants,  except  three  servants  in  livery, 
who  followed  at  a  distance.  He  appears  to  be  much  es- 
teemed by  the  people,  who  uncover  their  heads  as  he 
passes,  and  to  whom  he  takes  off  his  hat  and  bows  in  re- 
turn. 1  have  at  other  times  met  him  going  to  the  same 
place  in  a  coach  and  six,  followed  by  another  coach  and 
six,  attended  by  out  riders,  in  which  style  he  often  moves 
about  the  city,  joining  in  the  course  of  carriages  on  holi- 
days; though  he  sometimes  rides  in  a  plain  coach. 

Travellers  from  Bologna  enjoy  the  most  magnificent  en- 
trance into  Florence,  descending  a  fine  road,  passing  a  large 
public  promenade,  which  reaches  to  the  gate,  the  deformi- 
ty of  which  is  veiled  by  a  grand  triumphal  arch.  From 
this  gate,  another  road  leads  to  Fiesole,  which,  for  about 
two  miles,  is  not  too  steep  for  a  carriage,  beyond  it  is 
so  much  so  as  to  require  an  effort  in  walking  up  it.  It  is 
well  paved,  passes  through  a  highly  cultivated  country, 
often  between  stone  walls,  and  occasionally  reaching  the 
edge  of  the  mountain  as  it  winds  its  way  up,  presenting 
delightful  prospects  of  Florence  sunk  in  the  valley  below. 
But  when  at  last  you  reach  the  highest  spot,  which  we  did 
after  two  hours  walking,  you  are  well  compensated  by  the 
prospect,  which  is  very  extensive,  Florence  being  almost 
lost  in  the  mass  of  verdure  in  the  plain,  through  which 
the  course  of  the  Arno  is  but  slightly  traced.  We  stood 
on  one  of  the  mountains  of  the  Appennines,  which  rose 
still  higher  behind  us,  and  continued  their  rugged  banks 


232 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


around  in  all  directions,  but  cultivated  to  their  summits 
and  sprinkled  with  habitations.  Fiesole  was  a  city  before 
Florence  had  any  existence,  though  now  only  a  few  ves- 
tiges of  the  ancient  buildings  remain.  The  whole  top  of 
the  mountain  is  covered  with  monasteries,  churches,  an 
episcopal  palace,  and  private  dwellings  which  are  inhabit- 
ed entirely  by  stone-cutters,  who  go  every  morning  to 
Florence  to  work,  returning  up  hill  in  the  evening.  It 
was  Sunday  evening,  and  from  the  church  of  the  Francis- 
can convent  on  the  hill  above  the  village,  there  was  pour- 
ing down  the  healthy  old  women  of  the  mountain  in  black 
veils,  and  a  few  city  dressed  ladies.  Here  we  sat  upon  a 
little  terrace,  till  the  glowing  sun  dipped  behind  the  misty 
forms  of  the  purple  mountains,  presenting,  for  a  few  mi- 
nutes, a  scene  of  extraordinary  beauty. 

A  fair  is  annually  held  in  the  autumn,  which  attracts  mul- 
titudes of  people  from  Florence,  and  all  the  country  round. 
We  found  the  roads  crowded  in  all  directions.  As  carriages 
can  ascend  only  half  way,  we  were  much  amused  to  see  se- 
veral companies  of  ladies,  seated  in  coarse  baskets  or  crates, 
which  were  open  behind  like  an  ancient  car,  and  fixed  on 
branches  of  trees,  forming  a  kind  of  sledge,  and  slowly  drawn 
up  the  steep  road  by  oxen.  The  public  square  was  filled 
with  dry  goods  brought  from  Florence,  copper,  tin,  wood 
and  straw  work.  The  houses  around  were  occupied  with 
eating,  drinking,  and  exhibitions  of  various  sorts.  I  have 
seldom  seen  such  a  merry  meeting,  particularly  at  dusk, 
when  the  greater  part  were  returning  to  the  city,  singing, 
roaring,  whistling  and  slapping  each  other  with  long  wooden 
spoons  or  ferulas. 

An  annual  exhibition  of  the  works  of  living  artists  takes 
place  at  the  academy  in  the  month  of  September,  but  re- 
mains open  only  one  week,  unless  it  happens  to  possess  some 
extraordinary  interest  to  prolong  it  another  week.  The  first 
visiter  is  the  grand  duke,  whose  carriage  we  found  at  the 
door;  where  a  crowd  of  persons  were  waiting  the  moment 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


233 


of  his  departure.  The  exhibition  is  made  in  various  rooms, 
(only  one  of  which  is  sky-lighted)  temporarily  disembarrassed 
of  their  benches,  drawing  boards,  easels  and  students,  and 
open  to  the  free  passage  of  all  that  choose  to  range  through 
them:  this  affords  a  fine  occasion  to  see  the  collection  of 
plaster  casts  from  the  antique  and  the  series  of  paintings  by 
the  early  masters.  The  work  which  commands  the  chief  at- 
tention is  a  large  picture,  by  Bazzoli,  representing  Charles 
VIII.  of  France,  with  a  haughty  aspect  entering  one  of 
the  gates  of  Florence.  The  front  ground  is  occupied  by 
Machiavel,  and  other  distinguished  citizens,  who  express  to  • 
each  other  their  indignation  and  grief.  The  groups  of  horses, 
men,  women  and  children,  evince  an  excellent  talent  for 
composition  and  colouring.  Indeed  the  colouring  strikes  me 
as  much  superior  to  that  of  any  other  of  the  first  painters  of 
Italy.  One  altar-piece  and  some  small  histories  attract  su- 
bordinate attention.  Venuses,  portraits,  landscapes,  and 
drawings,  generally  placed  low,  in  a  single  row,  conduct  you 
from  room  to  room.  And,  finally,  for  public  inspection,  are 
the  studies  from  the  academy  figure,  an  historic  subject, 
and  architectural  and  other  drawings,  done  in  competition 
for  the  prizes  annually  awarded  by  the  academy.  Models 
of  fruit  in  wax,  specimens  of  engraving,  penmanship,  &c, 
and  a  list  of  the  names  of  those  who  have  gained  the  prizes 
in  music,  and  the  other  branches  of  science  which  are  gra- 
tuitously taught  in  this  princely  establishment,  completed  the 
round. 

Every  artist,  who  sends  his  works  to  this  exhibition,  is  en- 
titled to  the  privilege  of  placing  his  pictures  in.  any  situa- 
tion he  may  prefer,  which  is  not  previously  cccupied.  Of 
course  the  professors  of  the  academy  possess  the  first  right. 
My  Portrait  of  Washington  had  a  conspicuous  situation 
and  was  as  honourably  noticed  as  it  had  been  in  Rome. 

During  the  months  of  July  and  August,  although  the  sun 
is  intensely  hot,  and  the  shade  is  carefully  sought  by  those 
who  walk  out,  the  streets  are  not  so  deserted  in  the  middle 

30 


234 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


of  the  day  as  they  are  at  Rome;  but  the  people  indulge  still 
more  in  the  coolness  of  the  evening,  sitting  in  the  streets, 
around  the  coffee-houses,  and  lining  the  bridges,  where  seats 
are  provided  by  the  government.  The  theatres  do  not  open 
till  nine  o'clock,  and  continue  long  after  midnight,  which,  it 
is  common  to  say,  is  the  most  lively  hour  at  Florence.  This 
is  true  only  as  it  relates  to  those  who  have  filled  the  theatres, 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  population  are  sound  asleep  at  that 
hour,  and  I  have  generally  found  the  streets  deserted  and 
quiet  at  eleven. 

As  the  season  has  been  advancing,  the  quantity,  variety, 
and  excellence  of  the  fruit  is  such  as  to  surprise  even  an 
American.  The  apricots  are  the  size  of  our  peaches,  and 
plumbs  as  large  as  hens'  eggs.  The  peaches,  though  less 
rich  than  ours,  are  more  juicy,  and  the  pears  are  of  every 
kind.  I  attempted  to  taste  the  early  fig  of  a  purple  colour, 
but  found  it  watery  and  slimy.  The  white  fig,  which  suc- 
ceeds it,  is  much  firmer,  and  an  excellent  article  of  food. 
Cantelopes  and  musk-melons  are  abundant  and  cheap,  but 
water-melons  appear  to  be  the  popular  fancy;  for,  in  all  parts 
of  the  city  are  stalls,  covered  with  vine  leaves  spread  out  as 
a  table  cloth,  upon  which  are  arranged  slices  of  them,  or 
sections  ready  to  be  sliced,  to  accommodate  even  the  poorest 
customer,  who  presents  his  quattrino,  a  little  copper  coin, 
four  hundred  of  which  go  to  make  the  Florentine  dollar. 
From  my  balcony  in  the  Piazza  Granduca,  I  often  look  down 
upon  two  sturdy  men,  with  a  little  boy  to  give  change,  busily 
engaged  with  long  broad  knives,  dealing  out  their  bits  of  me- 
lons to  a  crowd  of  customers,  each  melon  being  chipped 
into  about  forty  slices. 

As  the  season  still  farther  advances,  and  the  melons  be- 
come more  abundant,  they  are  spread  out  in  halves  upon  the 
tables,  and  shelves  formed  like  a  step  ladder.  And  men  go 
about,  delegated  from  these  stalls,  or  adventurers  on  a  small- 
er scale,  each  with  a  cut  melon,  held  in  front  of  a  leather 
apron,  flourishing  his  long  knife,  and  crying  out  loudly  for  cus- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


235 


torn.  Such  a  stout  able-bodied  merchant  would  be  thought 
an  idle  fellow  in  America. 

Of  figs  there  are  several  kinds,  purple,  white,  and  green, 
which  are  brought  to  market  in  great  quantities,  and  sold  at 
a  low  rate,  from  four  to  sixteen  for  a  cent;  grapes  are  at 
two  cents  the  pound  of  twelve  ounces;  and  chesnuts,  which 
suddenly  appear  in  October,  are  sold  in  all  parts  of  the 
city  boiled  and  roasted,  large  copper  pans  over  portable 
furnaces  being  used  in  the  streets,  not  by  Florentines,  but 
Swiss,  who  come  at  the  season  expressly  to  roast  ches- 
nuts. When  roasted,  they  are  kept  hot  under  thick  quilted 
cloths,  and  measured  out  in  great  clumsy  wooden  cups,  at  the 
rate  of  about  eighteen  for  a  cent.  They  are  as  large  as  our 
horse  chesnuts.  We  are  told  that  they  constitute  a  great 
article  of  food  with  the  poor,  as  they  are  esteemed  a  luxury 
even  by  the  rich,  being  often  introduced  in  the  dessert  with 
more  costly  articles. 

The  mild  atmosphere  of  early  autumn  is  frequently  in- 
terrupted by  violent  storms  of  wind  and  rain,  and  early  in 
October  we  found  the  north  wind  unpleasantly  cold.  But 
when  the  storms  of  November  deposite  their  snows  upon 
the  neighbouring  mountains,  though  neither  ice  nor  snow 
may  be  seen  in  the  city  or  valley,  the  vapoury  atmosphere 
becomes  chilling  cold,  and  the  sharp  blasts  of  wind  out- 
rageously rude.  Extensive  level  basins  are  made  outside 
the  city  walls,  which  are  filled  with  water  and  suffered  to 
freeze  for  the  use  of  ice-cream  houses.  As  soon  as  the  wind 
changes,  it  immediately  becomes  mild,  the  air  thickens, 
clouds  accumulate,  and  the  rain  falls;  but  soon  the  north 
wind  returns  with  redoubled  fury,  to  render  Florence  the 
most  inclement  spot  that  a  valetudinarian  could  have  the 
misfortune  to  choose  for  the  restoration  of  his  health. 

Strangers  from  colder  climates  complain  that  in  Florence 
they  suffer  more  from  the  cold  than  in  their  own  countries. 
This  is  partly  owing  to  their  being  here  unprovided  for 
much  cold  weather.  The  doors  and  window  sashes  are  badly 


236 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


hung,  the  brick  floors  cold,  fire-places  either  badly  construct- 
ed or  entirely  wanting,  and  fuel  expensive,  so  that  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  warm  the  houses.  In  default  of  this,  the  inhabitants 
make  use  of  little  earthen  or  copper  fire-pots,  which  they  car- 
ry with  them,  like  baskets,  wherever  they  go,  either  through 
the  house  or  out  of  doors,  where  you  see  the  women  and 
children  holding  them  with  both  hands  under  their  aprons. 
They  are  supplied  with  charcoal  made  of  small  branches 
and  twigs  which  they  imagine  less  unwholesome  than  large 
charcoal.  These  fire-pots,  without  any  air  holes  in  the  bot- 
tom, and  filled  with  coals  and  ashes,  consume  the  coal  very 
gradually,  but  require  to  be  stirred  occasionally,  when  the 
heated  charcoal  instantly  brightens  into  red,  and  emits  the 
desired  heat 

For  the  supply  of  such  a  necessary  article,  every  part  of 
the  city  abounds  in  shops,  which  are  filled  with  fire-pots  of 
every  size  and  quality.  In  the  morning  you  may  observe, 
at  the  doors  of  the  public  offices,  a  large  provision  of  them, 
equal  in  number  to  the  clerks  and  officers  employed  in  the 
great  paved  halls,  which  are  without  fire-places.  At  the 
public  galleries  the  custodi  or  guides  move  about,  each 
with  his  fire-pot,  with  which,  occasionally,  the  visiter  is 
permitted  to  warm  his  fingers.  In  the  ordinary  domestic 
economy,  whilst  the  cookery  is  chiefly  performed  with 
charcoal  in  small  grates,  the  housewife  works  with  her 
fire-pot  beside  her  or  under  her  clothes,  the  servant  girl 
carries  one  from  room  to  room,  the  little  children,  as 
they  run  to  school,  carry  them  as  well  as  their  books, 
and,  finally,  the  beggars,  who  pour  out  on  Saturday  with 
their  irresistible  claims,  not  only  carry  their  umbrellas 
when  it  rains,  but  the  comfort  of  their  fire-pots  in  cold 
weather.  At  the  same  time  when  these  pots  appear,  may 
be  seen  a  great  display  of  hemispherical  frames,  made  of 
segments  of  flat  hoops,  the  use  of  which  is  not  immediately 
to  be  guessed.  They  are  furnished  each  with  a  hook  on 
the  inner  part  of  the  top,  on  which  one  of  these  fire-pots 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


237 


may  be  hung.  With  this  apparatus,  placed  in  bed  between 
the  sheets,  the  business  of  a  warming  pan  is  effected. 

Conflagrations  are  rare  in  Italy.  In  Rome  I  once  saw 
soldiers  posted  round  a  cellar,  whence  some  smoke  issued; 
but  the  public  firemen  soon  subdued  the  flame,  which  wTas 
among  some  fire  wood.  The  only  instance  besides  this, 
occurred  here,  in  my  own  premises.  Stone  houses,  brick 
passages  and  brick  floors  afford  a  satisfactory  assurance  of 
safety  in  houses  which  contain  a  variety  of  lodgers  whose 
apartments  connect  from  the  first,  by  means  of  stone  steps, 
up  to  the  fifth  story.  The  excessive  cold  weather  which 
prevailed  in  December  and  January,  induced  me,  as  an  Ame- 
rican, to  enjoy  the  comfort  of  a  good  fire  with  some  friends 
on  New  Year's  eve,  without  apprehending  any  danger,  in 
rooms  where  nothing  but  the  doors  and  window  shutters 
were  of  wood.  At  break  of  day,  however,  I  was  awakened 
by  the  smell  of  smoke,  and  found  my  sitting  room  filled 
with  it.  As  the  cloud  dispersed  on  opening  the  door  and 
window,  it  was  perceived  to  issue  through  the  cracks  of 
the  brick  pavement,  apparently  from  the  room  below,  in 
which  its  proprietor  transacted  business  only  at  noon.  In 
this  room  the  fire  was  heard  to  crackle,  but  no  one  must 
break  open  the  door  till  the  police  were  notified,  firemen 
called,  and  persons  placed  in  front  of  the  house  and  on  the 
stairs.  The  firemen  then,  with  great  resolution,  in  defi- 
ance of  smoke  and  fire,  proceeded  to  their  duty,  with 
hatchet,  pick-axe,  fire-buckets  and  syringe.  As  there  was 
no  fire-engine  called,  I  was  much  pleased  with  the. opera- 
tion of  this  last  instrument,  which  was  about  three  feet 
long  and  held  the  contents  of  a  bucket  of  water,  which  was 
squirted  into  every  opening  where  the  fire  was  perceived. 
Entirely  to  extinguish  it,  it  was  necessary  to  break  up  my 
hearth  and  floor,  which  was  in  danger  of  falling  in,  from  the 
timbers  which  supported  them  being  burnt  through.  We 
were  surprised  to  see,  amid  such  apparent  security,  so  much 
dangerous  arrangement  of  timber,  passing  entirely  under 


238 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


the  fire-place.  Boards  were  nailed  across  these  timbers, 
upon  which  a  thin  pavement  was  laid  in  mortar;  whilst  the 
ceiling  below  was  made  by  plastering  upon  a  matting  of 
split  reeds,  which  were  nailed  to  the  lower  surface,  leaving 
openings  for  the  circulation  of  air  and  the  extension  of  fire. 
The  better  method,  in  France,  is  to  fill  up  with  mortar  and 
stones  every  cavity.  During  the  operations  of  the  firemen, 
the  police  officers  wrote  their  statements  of  the  facts,  for 
the  regulation  of  justice  between  the  occupant,  his  land- 
lord, and  the  proprietor  of  the  house.  It  will  surprise  an 
American  who  has  not  witnessed  the  deficiencies  of  social 
intercourse  in  Italy,  to  be  informed,  that,  thus  driven  from 
the  comforts  of  my  own  fire-side  in  the  most  inclement 
weather  (there  being  no  other  fire-place  in  the  rooms  I  oc- 
cupied,) no  tenant  in  the  same  house,  or  any  other,  even 
pretended  to  offer  me  a  temporary  asylum;  this,  however, 
in  a  distant  part  of  the  city,  I  received  from  the  hospitality 
of  an  American,  who  had  not  lived  in  Italy  long  enough  to 
be  spoiled. 

In  works  of  peculiar  interest,  while  Paris  has  reason  to 
boast  of  the  incomparable  pictures  which  are  wrought  in 
worsted  tapestry  at  the  Gobelins,  while  Rome,  without  a  ri- 
val, has  attained  the  highest  excellence  in  the  production  of 
mosaic  pictures;*  and  while  Sienna  shows  the  admirable  imi- 
tations, by  means  of  inlaid  stone,  of  masterly  sketches,  in 
a  manner  no  longer  practised;  Florence  is  distinguished  by 
a  manufacture,  originally  of  very  limited  pretensions,  but 
gradually  rising  in  importance  till  it  has  now  reached  an 
extraordinary  perfection.  It  is  the  art  of  making  pictures 
in  pietro  duro,  and  consists  entirely  of  inlaid  segments  of 
coloured  and  precious  stones.  Strangers  are  permitted  to 
examine  in  detail  the  operations  of  this  singular  and  costly 
art,  which  is  carried  on  at  the  public  expense  in  a  suite 

*  Recently  the  French  government  has  established  a  similar  manufac- 
tory at  Paris,  the  works  of  which  I  have  not  been  able  to  see. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


239 


of  rooms  at  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts.  Pictures  are 
first  painted  or  procured  as  models  for  imitation;  outlines 
of  these  are  traced  on  paper;  which,  being  cut  into  sec- 
tions, is  divided  among  the  workmen.  For  each  leaf,  each 
petal  of  a  flower,  &c,  the  artist  has  to  seek  in  the  magazine 
of  stones  the  requisite  colours,  lights  and  shades,  in  large 
or  small  portions,  which  he  cuts,  fashions,  combines  and 
cements  on  a  base  of  stone;  filing  with  tools  of  copper  dipped 
in  wet  emery,  and  refining  his  outlines,  filling  in  his  grounds, 
and  extending  his  design,  till  the  whole  composition  is  com- 
pleted; it  is  then  ground  to  a  perfect  level  and  polish. 

A  number  of  splendid  works  in  this  manner  are  now  finish- 
ing for  the  altar  in  the  magnificent  chapel  of  the  princes  in 
the  church  of  San  Lorenzo;  but  some  portions  of  the  design 
are  executed  in  basso  relievo,  representing  fruit,  and  wrought 
of  the  most  beautiful  stones.  Among  several  precious  tables, 
I  remarked  one  which  represented  a  pipe  or  hautboy,  with  a 
group  of  flowers,  recently  finished,  in  which  the  white  lilies 
composed  of  calcedony,  as  well  as  the  contours,  lights,  shades, 
and  shadows  of  all  the  objects  rivalled  the  perfection  of  na- 
ture. Exclusive  of  the  materials,  the  labour  on  this  little 
table  cost  eighteen  thousand  dollars.  Several  rooms  are  filled 
with  shelves  in  cases  under  glass,  exhibiting  an  astonishing 
variety  of  coloured  flints,  pebbles,  jaspers,  and  every  spe- 
cies of  white,  clouded,  mottled,  spotted,  veined  and  co- 
loured stones,  in  sections  and  slabs,  from  all  parts  of  the 
world;  forming  a  collection  of  those  beautiful  objects  of 
larger  dimensions,  more  exquisite  beauty,  and  of  greater  va- 
lue than  I  could  have  conceived.  The  octagonal  table,  in 
one  of  the  rooms  of  the  national  gallery,  executed  in  this 
manner,  is  composed  of  an  incalculable  amount  of  precious 
stones,  and  occupied  twenty  men,  from  the  year  1633  to 
1649,  sixteen  years,  in  making  it  at  a  charge  of  eighty  thou- 
sand dollars. 

Some  of  the  guide  books  speak  of  the  Palazzo  Buona- 
rotti,  in  which  are  preserved  the  rooms  occupied  by  Michael 


240 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


Angelo.  It  is  no  palace,  but  a  very  plain  three  story  house, 
recently  repaired  in  the  modern  taste.  An  elderly  servant 
or  housekeeper  conducted  us  to  a  series  of  four  small  rooms, 
but  little  altered  since  they  were  inhabited  by  the  sublime 
sculptor.  The  doors  of  his  rooms  are  composed  of  sections 
of  curly  walnut  roots,  of  various  shades  of  colour,  inlaid  to 
represent  figures  the  size  of  life,  which  resemble  grotesque 
paintings;  others  were  painted  with  figures,  in  perspective, 
entirely  filling  up  the  doorways.  The  first  room  was  his 
parlour,  but  may  now  be  considered  his  mausoleum,  the 
walls  and  ceilings  being  divided  into  panels,  within  which 
are  recently  painted  the  principal  events  of  his  life.  He  is 
represented  in  a  marble  statue  at  one  end  of  the  room,  and 
on  an  opposite  wall  is  an  unfinished  fresco  painting,  by  him, 
and  a  small  basso  relievo  of  marble  inserted  in  the  wall. 
The  second  was  his  bed-room,  where  there  is  a  bronze  bust 
of  him  by  John  of  Bologna;  old  walnut  cabinets  surround 
the  room,  containing  a  variety  of  shells  and  antiques  which 
belonged  to  him;  on  the  walls,  in  little  frames,  are  hung 
some  of  his  original  drawings;  the  cornice  is  painted  with 
various  coats  of  arms  of  the  family,  and  very  heavy  old 
fashioned  chairs  stand  around.  The  third  room  was  his 
chapel,  the  ceiling  of  which  is  ornamented  and  gilded,  with 
a  miniature  cupola,  in  the  taste  of  the  times.  On  the  little 
altar  hangs  the  rosary  which  he  probably  used.  The  fourth 
room,  which  he  could  not  enter  without  passing  through  the 
chapel,  was  his  painting  room,  cased  round  with  walnut  ca- 
binets; some  of  which  were  opened  to  show  us  his  bottles 
of  oil  and  varnish,  and  paint  pots  of  curious  shapes;  his 
cross-handled  canes,  long  Indian  arrows,  which  the  simple 
housekeeper  says  he  used  as  brush  handles,  and  an  Indian 
bow,  which  she  says  was  his  mall-stick,  a  pair  of  slippers, 
and  many  other  articles  which  belonged  to  him  two  hundred 
and  sixty-six  years  ago  were  shown  us.  No  use  is  made  of 
these  rooms,  but  they  are  preserved  in  this  state  by  the  family, 
who  pride  themselves  in  being  his  descendants,  merely  to  show 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


241 


to  strangers. '  The  last  male  descendant,  bearing  the  name  of 
Buonarotti,  is  now  at  Rome,  studying  as  an  artist. 

The  Studio  of  Raphael  Morghen,  in  part  of  the  exten- 
sive premises  of  the  royai  academy,  has  its  walls  covered 
with  choice  impressions,  under  glass,  of  the  best  engravings 
from  the  hand  of  this  celebrated  veteran  of  the  graver,  and  a 
portfolio  on  the  table  contains  the  residue  of  his  wrorks.  The 
most  perfect  of  these  are,  his  well-known  Last  Supper,  from 
Davinci's  picture,  and  the  Transfiguration,  from  Raphael. 
This  last  and  most  beautiful  engraving  was  executed  about 
sixteen  years  ago,  and  has  become  so  rare,  that  proof  impres- 
sions are  sold  by  him  at  two  hundred  dollars  each,  a  good 
price  for  one  sheet  of  paper.  But  his  Madonna  delta  Seg- 
giola,  though  esteemed  the  best  in  its  time,  has  been  sur- 
passed by  a  recent  one  of  Garavaglia. 

At  one  end  of  an  ample  square,  the  Church  of  Santa 
Maria  Novella,  once  the  admiration  of  all  Florence  for  the 
beauty  of  its  chequered  front,  and  called  by  Michael  Angelo 
his  spouse,  possesses  no  external  attractions,  and  its  Gothic 
arches,  which  are  praised  for  their  lightness,  are  of  the  plain- 
est kind.  '  Its  altar-pieces  are  ancient  pictures  in  bad  condi- 
tion. A  Christ,  wretchedly  painted  by  Giotto  on  a  paneled 
cross,  hangs  over  the  door:  and  the  Madonna,  by  Cimabue, 
which  astonished  and  delighted  the  Florentines,  who  marched 
with  it  in  solemn  procession  to  this  church,  is  just  such  a 
thing  as  might  be  supposed  in  the  first  production  of  a  coun- 
try genius;  for  though  he  had  learned  from  the  Greeks,  then 
employed  in  decorating  the  church,  how  to  lay  on  gold  and 
paint,  he  had  not  learned  to  draw  human  fingers  so  well  as 
he  succeeded  in  making  Chinese  faces.  The  towering  walls 
of  the  choir,  behind  the  grand  altar,  are  covered,  picture 
above  picture,  with  the  ruins  of  frescos,  wonderful  in  their 
time,  by  Guirlandaio,  the  master  of  Michael  Angelo ;  they 
contain,  as  was  usual  in  the  works  of  that  period,  a  great 
many  very  good  portraits.  The  extensive  cloisters  of  the 
adjoining  convent  contain  in  their  vast  circuit  a  succession  of 

31 


242 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


decayed  frescos  painted  by  the  best  artists  of  Florence,  two 
hundred  years  ago,  representing  miracles  wrought  by  Do- 
minican saints.  The  only  miracles  now  performed  are  by 
furnishing  the  poor  with  excellenUmedicines  from  a  pharma- 
ceutic laboratory  established  in  the  convent. 

Ricci,  a  distinguished  sculptor  of  Florence,  having  finished 
his  Monument  to  the  Memory  of  Dante,  which  has  long 
been  surrounded  with  a  screen,  it  was  opened  for  public  in- 
spection with  the  solemnity  of  a  grand  funeral  mass.  AH  the 
twenty-five  altars  of  the  church  of  Santa  Croce,  in  which  it 
is  erected,  contiguous  to  the  tomb  of  Michael  Angelo,  were 
illuminated.  Before  the  great  altar  a  rich  cenotaph  was 
placed,  covered  and  surrounded  with  great  wax  candles,  as  if 
he  had  recently  died.  A  temporary  orchestra  was  construct- 
ed below  the  organ,  where  one  hundred  excellent  musicians 
delighted  a  respectable  multitude  who  filled  the  vast  edifice ; 
whilst  the  new  monument,  surpassing  all  others  in  magnitude, 
was  advantageously  seen  by  a  ray  of  light  which  descended 
from  an  opposite  window,  all  the  others  being  obscured  to 
heighten  the  effect.  Such  is  the  present  veneration  for  the 
exiled  poet,  and  such  the  honour  paid  to  the  production  of 
a  citizen  artist.  The  monument  represents  the  genius  of  po- 
etry, in  deep  grief,  at  one  corner  of  a  sarcophagus,  and  at 
the  other  the  figure  of  Italy,  with  extended  arm,  pointing  out 
the  venerable  form  of  Dante  seated  on  the  top  of  a  pe- 
destal. 

Bartolini  is  the  fashionable  sculptor  of  portraits.  A  se- 
ries of  rooms  in  one  of  his  studios,  for  he  has  several,  is  filled 
with  busts  of  beautiful  English  women  and  noblemen.  He 
is  celebrated  for  the  exquisite  finish  of  his  marble;  but  boasts 
of  never  having  been  to  Rome,  and  despises  the  idea  of  fol- 
lowing the  antique  whilst  he  has  eyes  to  see  nature.  Yet  it 
is  manifest  in  his  most  beautiful  works,  that  he  has  not  glanced 
on  the  Greek  statues  without  catching  a  portion  of  their  sim- 
plicity, grace,  and  character. 

Horatio  Greenough  of  Boston  is  a  favourite  pupil  of  Bar- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


243 


tolini,  and  distinguished  as  the  first  and  only  American  who  has 
studied  sculpture  scientifically.  He  is  executing  a  beautiful 
Group  of  Two  Jingels,  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Cooper  the 
novelist,  who  thus  appears  as  the  liberal  patron  of  a  kindred 
genius. 

The  historical  painter  Benvenuti,  who  basks  in  the  sun- 
shine of  royal  favour,  is  known  to  visiters  as  the  author  of 
the  splendid  fresco  paintings  which  cover  the  walls  of  an  apart- 
ment in  the  Pitti  palace.  His  painting  rooms  are  at  the  royal 
academy,  where  we  saw  the  large  cartoons  prepared  for  the 
ceiling  of  the  Chapel  of  the  Medici,  which  at  present  en- 
grosses all  his  attention.  His  great  oil  picture  of  the  Death 
of  Priam,  at  the  Corsini  palace,  may  exhibit  more  finished 
details  of  drawing  than  the  pictures  of  his  Roman  rival  Ca- 
mucini,  but  unquestionably  less  of  general  truth,  expression 
and  propriety  of  action. 

In  the  painting  rooms  of  Colignon  I  found  the  same  style 
of  composition,  drapery  and  colour  which  prevails  at  Rome, 
although  he  professes  to  pursue  a  different  mode,  and  does 
not  draw  large  cartoons,  which  he  believes  to  be  injurious  to 
the  spirit  of  composition.  Some  parts  of  his  pictures  are 
well  coloured,  because  he  makes  in  oil  distinct  studies  of  eve- 
ry head,  hand  and  foot;  but  he  finishes  very  highly  a  small 
drawing  on  paper,  and  then  transfers  to  his  large  canvass  the 
whole  outline,  which  he  rigidly  retains.  By  this  means  er- 
rors are  confirmed  in  large,  which  escape  detection  in  small, 
until  seen  by  some  less  prejudiced  eye.  In  his  pictures  of 
the  Death  of  Sophonisba  and  the  Death  of  Lucretia, 
there  are  many  beautiful  parts,  especially  in  the  arrangement 
of  the  drapery. 

As  the  carpenter  is  packing  up  my  boxes  of  pictures,  I  can- 
not forbear  noticing  a  peculiarity  in  the  make  and  use  of  the 
gimlet,  which  I  had  likewise  remarked  at  Rome.  The  thread 
runs  the  contrary  way,  and  requires  a  motion  of  the  arm  the 
reverse  of  our  practice.  An  Italian  gimlet  would,  therefore, 
suit  a  left-handed  man. 


244 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


It  was  again  necessary,  as  at  Rome,  to  obtain  permission 
from  persons  appointed  for  that  purpose,  to  export  my  own 
paintings.  Two  custom-house  officers  took  an  inventory  of 
the  pictures  as  they  were  packed  up,  and  then  affixed  their 
seals  to  the  packages,  which  will  exempt  them  from  farther 
scrutiny.  This  not  only  prevents  precious  pictures  being 
smuggled  away,  but  produces  fees  for  government  depen- 
dants. 

The  road  from  Florence  towards  Pisa,  along  the  Arno, 
passes  through  numerous  villages,  only  two  of  which  are  re- 
markable :  one  as  being  entirely  composed  of  brick  and  tile 
makers,  and  the  other  for  the  beauty  and  neatness  of  its  houses 
and  new  marble  bridge;  the  rest  ^are  disgustingly  dirty,  and 
abounding  with  beggars.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  who 
were  engaged  in  the  labours  of  the  field,  almost  every  wo- 
man we  met  on  the  road  was  occupied  in  making  straw  hats, 
sitting  on  the  sunny  side  of  the  way  to  economise  their  scan- 
ty fuel.  The  peasant  women  who,  when  they  visit  Florence, 
always  go  in  their  black  hats  and  ostrich  feathers,  gold  ear- 
rings and  pearl  necklaces,  I  perceived  every  where  around 
their  homes  with  their  heads  and  shoulders  simply  covered 
with  a  shawl.  The  river  banks,  being  without  trees,  possess 
no  charm  to  an  American  eye;  but  the  neighbouring  hills 
are  covered  with  beautiful  villas  and  farm-houses.  Before 
reaching  Pisa  the  road  branches  off  to  Leghorn  across  an  im- 
mense expanse  of  land,  level  as  a  meadow,  highly  cultivated, 
but  little  inhabited,  till  we  met  the  road  which  leads  from 
Leghorn  to  Pisa,  lively  with  carriages.  Leghorn  being  with- 
out any  high  ground  or  steeples,  nothing  could  be  seen  of  it 
till  we  passed  the  moat  and  entered  the  fortified  walls. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


245 


Leghorn,  April  KM,  1830. 

A  considerable  portion  of  the  city  is  intersected  by  ca- 
nals, with  streets  on  each  side,  and  large  warehouses,  afford- 
ing great  facility  for  receiving  and  transmitting  goods.  The 
streets  are  straight,  wide  and  well  paved,  and  the  houses  have 
a  clean,  respectable  and  sometimes  elegant  appearance. 

Outside  the  wall,  and  next  to  the  sea,  is  an  inner  harbour, 
formed  anciently  by  the  sweep  of  a  mole,  beyond  which  a 
greater  one  now  projects  and  stretches  in  front  of  the  har- 
bour, terminated  by  a  fortress ;  so  that  a  person  arriving  at 
Leghorn  by  water  passes  the  outer  harbour,  where  sometimes 
a  quarantine  is  performed,  into  the  inner  harbour  in  front  of 
a  health-office,  a  beautiful  new  building  of  white  marble.  A 
space  of  ground  between  the  harbour  and  city  wall  is  thought 
to  be  ornamented  with  a  colossal  statue  of  a  proud-looking 
Ferdinand  I.  of  white  marble,  standing  fiercely  erect  on  a 
high  pedestal ;  at  the  four  corners  of  which,  in  attitudes  of 
submission  and  terror,  sit  four  bronze  Asiatic  slaves,  whose 
chains  descending  from  the  corners  of  the  pedestal,  were  in- 
tended, by  a  graceful  sweep,  to  ornament  this  disgusting  mo- 
nument. 

On  entering  Leghorn  from  the  harbour,  the  narrow  and 
crowded  gateway  opens  into  a  long,  wide  and  somewhat  ele- 
gant street,  rich  in  stores  of  foreign  goods,  chiefly  English, 
which  are  here  sold  so  cheap,  Leghorn  being  a  free  port,  that 
many  persons  from  Florence  come  down  sixty  miles  to  make 
their  private  purchases*  This  street,  where  are  the  best 
hotels  and  coffee-houses,  is  the  chief  promenade  of  all  classes; 
Christian,  Turk,  Jew  and  gentile :  the  noise  which  they  make, 
intermingled  with  the  popular  cries,  more  than  their  slow 
movement,  has  given  to  Leghorn  the  character  of  being  live- 
ly and  bustling. 


246 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


What  is  called  the  Cathedral  stands  at  the  end  of  a  large 
public  square.  Its  ceiling  is  rich  with  massive  carved  gild- 
ing, but  its  altars  possess  none  of  the  attractions  of  painting; 
and  its  bells,  swinging  out  of  the  windows  of  its  square  tower, 
make  such  a  clamour,  that  an  American  just  landed  would 
suppose  the  town  to  be  on  fire. 

Near  it  is  to  be  found  the  Jews'  Synagogue.  Evening  ser- 
vice was  performing  at  early  candle-light.  A  portion  of  the 
multitude  of  chandeliers  which  fill  its  firmament  being  light- 
ed, illuminated  its  whole  interior  of  white  marble,  upon 
which  were  spread  out  numerous  Hebrew  inscriptions.  A 
priest,  or  rabbi,  in  a  cocked  hat,  with  a  white  linen  which 
covered  it,  and  hung  from  its  sides  and  back,  was  chanting 
from  a  splendid  rostrum,  or  pulpit,  of  variegated  marbles ; 
whilst  the  responses  were  chanted,  mumbled,  muttered  and 
screamed  by  a  motley  assemblage  of  men  and  boys,  sitting  on 
oak  benches,  or  standing  with  their  hats  on.  At  a  splendid 
altar,  probably  containing  the  sacred  ark,  hung  a  crimson  cur- 
tain, which  some  of  the  congregation  in  going  out  approached 
and  kissed.  The  chanting  was  in  Hebrew,  and  resembled  the 
singing  of  some  of  our  North  American  Indians.  A  fine  ve- 
nerable old  man  who  sat  before  me,  in  the  Armenian  dress, 
and  with  a  long  beard,  intermingled  his  prayers  with  jocose 
conversation  with  a  friend,  as  if  well  assured  that  the  Being 
he  was  addressing  was  equally  gratified  with  the  practice  of 
the  social  virtues  and  direct  solemn  worship.  The  galleries, 
reaching  three  stories  high  to  the  ceiling,  for  the  separate  ac- 
commodation of  the  women,  were  faced  with  lattices. 

For  the  convenience  of  exportation  there  are  several  ma- 
gazines of  works  in  alabaster,  executed  at  Volterra,  where 
the  finest  alabaster  is  quarried.  I  was  surprised  to  find 
some  of  these  works  rivalling  the  best  executed  at  Flo- 
rence. In  these  magazines,  likewise,  are  sold  tables  of  ar- 
tificial and  painted  stone,  called  Scagliola,  which  are  very- 
beautiful,  and  a  cheap  substitute  for  marble  and  mosaic. 

Leghorn  and  Pisa  are  both  situated  on  a  great  plain, 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


247 


which  must  formerly  have  been  an  immense  bay,  reaching 
across  from  the  mountains  beyond  Leghorn,  on  the  sea,  to 
those  beyond  Pisa,  on  the  Arno,  six  miles  above  its  mouth. 
The  land  is  drained  by  canals  and  ditches,  and  in  fine  cul- 
tivation, but  it  was  distressing  to-  see  the  women  of  this 
district  more  than  usually  degraded,  as  beasts  of  burden, 
carrying  enormous  bundles  of  wood  on  their  heads.  The 
loaded  canal  boats  were  drawn,  each  by  two  harnessed  wo- 
men, instead  of  horses. 

Having  deposited  my  boxes,  containing  the  copies  I  had 
made  at  Rome  and  Florence,  in  the  safe  keeping  of  M.  de 
Youngh,  who  kindly  engages  to  remit  them  to  my  order,  I 
was  at  liberty  to  engage  a  vetturina  for  Pisa. 


Pisa,  April  24th. 

The  canal  from  Leghorn  terminates  at  Pisa  in  commo- 
dious walled  docks,  some  parts  of  which  are  covered  with 
buildings,  under  which  the  boats  may  be  loaded  and  unload- 
ed without  regard  to  weather. 

The  first  object  to  which  the  attention  of  strangers  is  in- 
vited, is  a  beautiful  green  plain,  containing  the  Cathedral, 
the  Baptistery,  the  Campo  Santo,  and  the  Leaning  Tower. 
All  these  buildings  are  a  little  out  of  the  perpendicular, 
the  Baptistery  and  extreme  part  of  the  Cathedral  percepti- 
bly, and  the  tower  or  Belfry,  most  surprisingly.  Notwith- 
standing such  a  disadvantageous  circumstance,  this  circular 
tower  of  arcades  and  columns,  eight  stories,  and  nearly  one 
hundred  and  ninety  feet  in  height,  deserves  its  usual  epithet 
of  beautiful.  The  guide  who  has  waylaid  you  in  the  street, 
and  caught  you  in  the  act  of  coming  to  this  place,  and  who 
hurries  to  show  you  the  spot  from  which  the  declination  of 


248 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


the  tower,  its  greatest  deformity,  may  be  best  seen,  will 
scarcely  allow  you  time  to  admire  its  light  columns,  graceful 
arches  and  ornamented  cornice,  before  he  gets  you  with- 
in the  massive  marble  walls,  and  mounting  the  marble  steps 
which  are  worn  into  deep  hollows  by  centuries  of  visiters. ' 
A  great  circular  opening  reaches  from  the  bottom  to  the  top. 
Between  the  thick  wall  of  this  well,  and  the  outer  wall,  a 
circular  flight  of  steps  winds  to  the  top;  opening,  as  you  rise, 
out  upon  every  story  or  arcaded  gallery.  In  ascending  this 
flight  of  steps  I  was  affected  by  the  varying  obliquity  of  them 
as  by  motion  on  shipboard.  The  upper  story,  though  nar- 
rower than  the  rest,  forms  on  the  top  a  great  expanse  of  so- 
lid stone  work,  upon  which  you  may  walk  round,  within  iron 
railings.  From  this  spot  you  enjoy  a  beautiful  map  of  the 
city,  plain,  river,  sea  and  mountains;  the  arches  of  an  aque- 
duct stretching  to  the  hills  ;  the  villages  at  their  base  where 
the  hot  baths  are  situated,  and  the  pale  distant  light-houses 
of  Leghorn. 

The  Cathedral  and  Baptistery  are  beautiful  specimens  of 
the  Saxon  Gothic  architecture.  Originally  of  white  marble, 
interspersed  with  other  colours,  they  are  now  stained  brown 
and  yellow.  The  front  of  the  Cathedral,  composed  of  ar- 
cades supported  by  little  columns,  gallery  above  gallery,  is 
enriched  with  much  minute  sculpture,  especially  on  two 
large  columns  at  the  principal  door,  which  are  supposed  to 
be  the  work  of  Greek  artists  residing  in  Egypt.  The  grand 
duke  having  bestowed  a  sum  of  money  to  clean  and  repair 
this  church,  it  was  filled  with  scaffolds  and  workmen;  and 
the  marbles  which  have  been  scoured,  though  of  five  and 
six  hundred  years  standing,  look  as  fresh  as  if  they  were  just 
erected.  The  whole  of  this  elegant  and  singular  interior 
will  be  restored  to  its  original  freshness.  The  walls  are  co- 
vered with  large  pictures  by  ancient  and  modern  painters, 
some  of  which  are  in  an  agreeable  taste  of  colour  and  group- 
ing; but  those  by  Benvenuti  and  Colignon,  of  Florence,  are 
not  the  best,  having  been  executed  many  years  ago. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


249 


The  Baptistery  forms  a  beautiful  temple,  externally  co- 
vered with  Gothic  ornaments,  but  within  it  has  rather  a  na- 
ked appearance,  and  possesses  nothing  interesting  except  its 
pulpit,  which  is  richly  covered  with  marble  sculpture,  and 
its  baptismal  fonts,  formerly  used  for  immersion,  according 
to  the  Greek  rites. 

Near  these  edifices  is  an  enclosure  for  the  dead,  which  is 
usually  called  Campo  Santo.  It  is  a  quadrangular  court  of 
open  colonnades  of  beautiful  Gothic  work,  and  possesses  some 
interesting  monuments,  and  much  ancient,  but  bad  and  da- 
maged fresco  paintings,  some  of  which  may  please  the  anti- 
quarian. The  earth  which  fills  the  interior  of  this  building 
was  brought  as  precious  ballast  from  the  Holy  Land. 

The  Botanic  Garden,  open  to  the  public  at  certain 
hours,  is  tastefully  laid  out  within  the  city,  and  contains 
many  beautiful  trees  and  plants ;  among  others,  a  cork  tree 
twelve  or  fourteen  inches  in  diameter,  and  a  large  magnolia 
grandiflora  of  Florida,  and  a  beautiful  cedar  of  Lebanon, 
which  the  Professor  Savi  lives  to  see  fifty  years  after  plant- 
ing them.  His  son,  who  is  now  professor  of  natural  history, 
with  much  industry  and  taste,  has  extended  the  establish- 
ment to  a  most  respectable  size.  I  was  particularly  pleased 
with  his  preparation  of  a  wild  boar,  wounded  with  a  spear, 
and  in  fierce  combat  with  two  dogs ;  and  that  of  a  wolf  at- 
tacking a  dog;  they  are  works  truly  artist-like. 

The  land  around  the  city  being  on  a  dead  level,  drained 
with  canals  and  ditches,  and  with  few  trees,  furnishes  no  plea- 
sant walks  or  rides.  The  most  agreeable  is  one  planted  on 
each  side  with  trees,  and  leading  in  straight  lines  to  a  royal 
farm  or  cascina.  This  affords  an  easy  ride  for  luxurious  in- 
dolence, but  a  dull  though  shady  walk;  it  was  compensated, 
however,  by  the  interesting  sight  of  seventeen  camels  to- 
gether, fifteen  others  being  on  another  part  of  the  farm. 
This  is  a  breed  of  camels,  kept  up  since  their  introduction 
by  the  Medici.  The  females  are  not  suffered  to  labour, 
but  range  the  forest  with  their  young;  whilst  the  males  car- 

32 


250 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


ry  wood,  and  perform  other  work.  They  are  brought  to 
the  well  every  evening,  and  appear  to  drink  very  heartily. 
Whilst  I  made  sketches  from  them  in  various  attitudes,  the 
old  man  who  takes  care  of  them,  enjoyed  himself  in  talking 
much  about  them. 

The  semicircular  course  of  the  Arno  through  the  city, 
well  walled  up,  and  with  handsome  bridges,  a  wide  street  on 
each  side,  and  elegant  buildings,  constitutes  the  most  beauti- 
ful feature  of  Pisa.  Indeed,  after  this  and  the  public  build- 
ings before  mentioned,  there  is  nothing  worth  notice  except 
the  Palace  of  the  Cavaliers,  or  knights  of  Pisa,  ornament- 
ed with  a  statue  and  busts  of  their  grand  masters,  and  the 
Church  of  the  same  cavaliers,  in  the  same  piazza,  which  is 
decorated  with  ninety-six  flags  of  infidel  nations,  taken  in 
battle  by  the  Pisan  knights,  whose  galleys  were  said  to  be 
the  terror  of  unbelievers. 

Although  the  population  of  Pisa  has  dwindled  from  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  down  to  sixteen  thousand,  it 
swarms  with  beggars  of  the  most  obtrusive  kind;  and  the 
better  sort  of  the  inhabitants,  who  walk  the  quays  and  fre- 
quent the  coffee-houses,  exhibit  manners  disgustingly  rude 
and  vulgar ;  otherwise  they  may  be  civil  enough,  as  they  are 
said  to  be. 

The  road  from  Pisa  to  Massa  di  Carrara,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  projecting  point  of  a  high  mountain,  passes  over 
nothing  but  plains,  or  alluvial  grounds,  between  the  moun- 
tains and  the  sea,  and  through  few  villages,  only  one  of  which 
was  beautiful.  During  the  whole  distance  we  were  assailed 
by  only  two  beggars.  We  remarked  that  the  women  and 
children  retired  into  their  houses  as  we  approached,  for  fear 
of  being  suspected  of  the  Pisan  practice  of  beggary,  every 
woman  being  engaged  in  spinning,  even  those  who  were  tra- 
velling. On  approaching  Massa,  we  skirted  the  indentations 
of  the  mountains,  on  some  of  whose  pinnacles  remain  the 
ruined  battlements  of  ancient  fortresses. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


251 


Mass  a  di  Carrara. 

We  entered  Massa  as  the  young  duke  'pi  Modena  came 
out  of  it,  and  saw  on  the  great  square  a  temporary  arch  of 
triumph,  and  other  decorations  for  a  general  illumination^ 
which  took  place  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  visit.  The 
buildings  have  a  neat  appearance  by  their  ornamental  parts 
being  made  of  marble,  as  well  as  the  bridges,  causeways,  and 
even  footways.  Immense  fortifications,  the  work  of  warlike 
times,  crown  one  of  the  mountains  which  rise  from  the  city. 
They  are  now  used  as  a  prison,  and  the  visiter  who  passes 
through  the  court,  without  noticing  the  clamorous  appeals 
from  wretches  within  the  barred  windows,  is  assailed  with 
the  most  shocking  imprecations.  The  steep  ascent  termi- 
nates in  a  terrace,  surrounded  by  battlements  rising  from  a 
precipitous  ridge  of  rocks,  and  commands  a  beautiful  view 
of  the  valley,  sea,  and  mountains,  and  even  of  Leghorn. 

My  guide  informed  me  that  a  woman,  being  rudely  chased 
on  this  terrace  by  a  brutal  soldier,  rushed  over  the  battle- 
ments. It  made  me  giddy  to  look  down  to  the  rocks  on 
which  she  fell;  and  I  instinctively  shrunk  from  my  ruffian- 
looking  guide,  and  the  dangerous  parapet. 

The  road  that  leads  from  Massa,  four  miles  to  Carrara, 
winding  on  the  sides  of  the  marble  mountains,  is  of  gentle 
acclivity,  and  in  the  most  perfect  condition,  as  it  should  be 
for  the  transportation  of  statuary.  As  soon  as  Carrara  pre- 
sents itself  to  view,  it  is  perceived  to  be  down  in  a  little  val- 
ley or  plain  entirely  surrounded  by  mountains,  some  of  which 
are  covered  with  plantations  of  dingy  olive  trees;  but  those 
which  rise  beyond  the  village  in  the  bottom  of  the  basin, 
are  barren  peaks  of  marble,  which  time  has  so  stained,  that 
they  seem  to  be  smoked;  yet,  when  quarried,  they  are  in 
many  parts  as  white  as  the  purest  loaf  sugar. 


252 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


Carrara. 

The  oldest  walls  in  the  village  are  of  a  thousand  years 
standing,  but  as  the  population  in  the  last  eight  years  has 
increased  one  third,  there  are  many  new  houses  of  a  neat 
and  modern  structure.  Including  another  village  situated 
nearer  the  quarries,  the  entire  population  of  stonecutters, 
marble  sawyers,  and  sculptors,  with  their  wives  and  chil- 
dren, and  the  requisite  bakers,  butchers  and  tradesmen,  in 
the  valley,  amounts  to  fourteen  thousand.  There  are  two 
or  three  churches,  one  of  which,  one  thousand  years  old,  is 
incrusted  within  with  the  most  beautiful  coloured  .marbles  of 
other  countries.  But  the  largest  building  in  the  place,  for- 
merly a  royal  residence,  has  been  for  the  last  eight  years  oc- 
cupied as  an  academy  of  the  Fine  Arts,  where  instruction  is 
gratuitously  given  in  drawing,  modelling,  anatomy  and  archi- 
tecture, under  professors  appointed  by  the  sovereign. 

Having  letters  to  some  of  them,  1  enjoyed  the  opportunity 
of  examining  their  various  studios  or  workshops,  and  was 
surprised  at  the  beauty  and  finish,  not  only  of  vases  and  or- 
namental mantel-pieces,  but  of  entire  statues  and  busts. 

The  sculptor  of  the  present  day  is  scarcely  required  to 
touch  his  marble,  or  even  to  know  how  to  cut  it.  First 
modelling  his  figure  in  ductile  clay,  which  is  kept  moist  by 
wet  cloths,  during  any  length  of  time,  he  may  give  it  the  ut- 
most perfection  of  form.  It  is  then  trusted  to  the  careful 
hands  of  a  mere  mechanic,  whose  art  is  to  make  a  mould  on 
it  and  produce  him  a  fac  simile  in  plaster  of  Paris.  The 
sculptor,  now  in  possession  of  his  model  in  white  plaster,  in- 
stead of  dark  clay,  can  more  readily  judge  of  its  effect,  and 
may  improve  it  at  his  leisure;  and  at  any  future  time  either 
copy  it  himself  in  stone,  or  employ  workmen,  who  generally 
do  nothing  else  all  their  lives.    Many  such  reside  at  Rome 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


253 


and  Florence,  where  blocks  of  marble  are  received  from  Car- 
rara. But  to  save  the  expense  of  transporting  large  masses, 
it  is  becoming  more  than  ever  customary  to  transmit  the  mo- 
del carefully  packed  up,  to  Carrara,  where  it  is  accurately 
copied  or  roughed  out  for  the  sculptor  to  finish. 

It  is  surprising  with  what  accuracy  these  workmen  copy 
the  model  which  is  given  them.  Thorwaldsen,  whose  mo- 
dels are  seldom  remarkable  for  the  delicacy  of  the  finish,  is 
so  well  satisfied  with  the  general  accuracy  of  the  work  done 
here,  that  statues  which  he  is  making  for  his  native  country, 
will  be  boxed  up  at  Carrara  and  sent  to  Denmark,  without 
being  once  seen  by  him. 

This  mode  of  statuary  has  been  reduced  to  a  perfect  method, 
only  in  modern  times.  The  genius  of  Michael  Angelo  was 
frequently  fatigued  before  he  could  approach  the  forms,  which 
his  imagination  conceived,  in  his  blocks  of  marble,  and  he  of- 
ten hastened  to  chisel  out  a  part  as  a  guide  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  whole  figure,  which  sometimes  was  spoiled  by 
his  impatience.  The  Carrara  workmen  proceed,  with  more 
Saturnine  temperament,  mathematically  to  lay  out  and  mea- 
sure their  task.  The  model  is  marked  all  over  with  numerous 
spots,  which  are  transferred  by  the  compasses  to  the  block 
of  marble ;  two  well  defined  points  always  serve  as  a  base 
for  finding  the  position  of  a  third;  and  the  workman  continually 
measures  as  he  advances  to  the  completion,  in  which  he  is  ex- 
pert or  excellent  in  proportion  to  the  attention  he  has  paid 
to  his  studies  in  drawing,  modelling,  and  anatomy.  Beauti- 
ful busts  are  finished  and  packed  up  here  at  fifty  dollars  each; 
and  elegant  copies  of  the  Borghese  and  Medici  vases,  about 
thirty  inches  tall,  at  the  same  price. 

The  upper  village  is  chiefly  inhabited  by  persons  who 
work  for  architectural  purposes,  such  as  cornices,  columns, 
and  slabs.  This  employs  a  great  number  of  hands,  be- 
sides the  work  done  by  a  long  succession  of  mills,  moved 
by  a  copious  stream  of  water.  In  one  of  these  I  observed 
one  saw  frame  with  sixteen  saws  cutting  a  block  of  marble 


254 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


at  once  into  seventeen  broad  slabs,  each  about  an  inch  thick. 
Here  was  executed  the  marble  work  for  the  University  of 
Virginia,  besides  other  buildings  in  America. 

The  marble  is  quarried  in  the  ravines  of  the  mountains 
from  two  to  five  miles  distant.  It  is  generally  taken  from 
the  bases  of  the  mountains,  but  frequently  great  masses  are 
tumbled  from  situations  many  hundred  feet  high,  to  which 
the  labourers  are  an  hour  in  ascending,  and  where  they 
work  with  cords,  around  them  to  assure  them  against  the 
danger  of  falling.  The  whitest  marble  is  found  only  in  oc- 
casional layers;  some  at  the  base  of  the  mountain  is  of  the 
most  beatiful  whiteness. 

Excellent  as  is  the  road  to  Carrara,  for  the  safe  convey- 
ance of  the  original  model  sent,  and  the  marble  copy  in 
return;  yet  the  road  (if  it  deserves  to  be  so  called  when 
formed  only  by  dragging  along  it  blocks  of  marble)  down 
which  the  smaller  masses  are  drawn  by  oxen,  on  strong 
wagons,  is  covered  with  stones  which  are  scattered  over  it 
by  the  falling  blocks.  Such  is  the  labour  of  contending 
with  the  impediments  allowed  to  remain,  that  one  hundred 
and  twenty  oxen  were  required  to  drag  down,  without 
wagons,  each  block  of  marble  for  Thorwaldsen's  colossal 
statues. 

All  the  industry  of  the  place  is  devoted  to  this  marble;  so 
that  for  some  of  the  necessaries  of  life  the  inhabitants  of  the 
little  valley  are  indebted  to  Massa  and  other  distant  places. 
I  perceived  a  number  of  women,  on  the  sides  of  the  moun- 
tains, collecting  leaves  and  weeds,  bearing  them  in  baskets  on 
their  backs  like  beasts  of  burden,  for  the  purpose  of  being 
used  as  fodder  for  the  oxen. 

From  Massa  the  road  continues  to  pass  through  an  uninte- 
resting country  to  Spezzia,  whose  beautiful  bay  is  often  men- 
tioned. Thence  it  winds  up  and  down  the  mountains,  cross- 
ing desolate  gravel  beds,  the  course  of  mountain  torrents.  It 
afforded  no  relief  to  this  dull  scene  to  enter  the  wretched  old 
town  of  Borghetta,  built  of  pebble  stones,  and  swarming 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


255 


with  half-naked  children,  where  we  were  compelled  to  wait 
more  than  an  hour,  whilst  the  only  blacksmith  of  the  place, 
having  no  stock  on  hand,  made  and  put  on  a  horse-shoe  for 
us.  The  only  two  decent  houses  are  called  hotels.  The 
keeper  of  one  of  these,  who  speaks  broken  English,  and 
boasts  of  knowing  all  languages,  having  seen  all  the  capital 
cities  in  the  world,  not  excepting  Pekin,  now  contents  him- 
self in  sitting  down  in  this  Borghetta,  which  every  traveller 
must  pass  through.  I  asked  him  when  this  old  town  was 
built  ?  He  replied,  "  Before  God — an  English  lord  ask  me 
ze  same  question — I  give  him  ze  same  answer,  an  he  laugh 
like  ze  devil,  because  he  say  God  never  make  any  sing  so 
bad."  From  this  rude  sample  of  his  genius,  I  resisted  the 
persuasion  of  my  vetturino  to  enter  his  house  and  suffer  his 
suspicious  hospitalities,  but  hurried  away  to  pursue  a  tedious 
and  solitary  course,  over  a  new  road  across  the  mountain,  to 
a  comfortable  inn  at  Bracchio.  I  was  not,  indeed,  without 
some  unpleasant  sensations  on  the  road,  which  wound  around 
a  desolate  mountain;  for  it  was  dark, and  no  places  could  be 
better  chosen  by  the  desperate  robber  to  tumble  the  passen- 
ger, carriage  and  horses,  over  the  unguarded  precipice,  into 
the  deep  ravines  below.  Scarcely  was  the  idea  formed  in  my 
mind,  before  the  appearance  of  some  gensdarmes  showed 
that  it  was  not  merely  an  imagination  of  my  own. 

An  early  ride  in  the  morning  brought  me  to  Chiaveri, 
thus  completing  about  fifty  miles  over  a  road  which  a  blind 
man  might  say  was  beautiful,  for  it  is  excellently  made,  but 
one  of  the  most  desolate  I  ever  travelled;  the  savage  moun- 
tains are  without  inhabitants,  the  valleys  without  a  resting 
place,  and  there  was  nothing  but  the  grizzly  decoration  of  dingy 
olives  on  every  spot  of  soil  that  could  be  scraped  together, look- 
ing as  if  they  had  scarcely  survived  the  universal  deluge,  and 
were  not  yet  washed  from  the  mud.  My  judgment  is  satis- 
fied that  these  "  olive-crowned  mountains  "  are  very  interest- 
ing to  the  proprietors,  and  possess  all  the  beauty  of  utility, 
but  nothing  of  the  picturesque,  at  least  to  one  accustomed  to 


256 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


the  magnificence  of  an  American  forest.  These  Italian  moun- 
tains, which  seem  barren  with  the  culture  of  the  olive,  are, 
nevertheless,  beautiful  objects  in  the  distant  landscape,  when 
tinged  with  the  blue,  the  purple,  and  sometimes  the  orange 
hues  of  an  evening  atmosphere.  But  the  landscape  painter 
is  compelled  to  hunt  with  extraordinary  industry  and  skill  to 
discover  and  put  together  the  materials  for  an  agreeable  fore- 
ground. 

At  Chiaveri,  which  is  a  handsome  town  on  the  edge  of  the 
Mediterranean,  I  remarked  extensive  enclosures  for  the  ma- 
nufacture of  salt.  From  wells,  communicating  with  the  sea, 
water  is  raised  by  means  of  balance  poles,  two  of  which  to 
each  well  are  pivoted  on  a  wall  that  rises  from  a  little  cistern 
close  to  the  well;  the  water  is  thrown  into  the  cistern,  under 
which  a  fire  is  made  to  boil  away  the  water.  Perhaps  in  no 
other  country  but  Italy  can  be  found  such  an  imperfect  patri- 
archal method  of  making  salt. 

Soon  after  leaving  Chiaveri,  the  road,  still  improving  in  all 
its  good  qualities,  ascended  the  mountain  which  projected  to 
the  sea,  and  afforded  extensive  prospects  of  points  and  pro- 
montories of  the  indented  coast ;  and  winding  above  deep 
and  now  cultivated  valleys,  till  presently  again  reaching  the 
coast,  Genoa  appeared  bright  in  the  distance  at  the  head  of 
her  beautiful  bay.  Our  course  was  a  constant  ascent  and  de- 
scent, winding  to  the  right  and  to  the  left  among  the  crags 
or  on  the  brow  of  the  mountain,  passing  several  tunnels 
in  the  rocks,  and  rattling  through  village  after  village,  till 
the  serpentine  movement  became  extremely  tantalizing  and 
tiresome.  The  excellent  buildings  which  lined  the  road, 
and  were  scattered  on  the  hills,  and  the  new  ones  erecting, 
evinced  an  activity  and  prosperity  which  I  had  not  before 
seen  in  Italy. 

On  approaching  the  gate  of  the  city,  its  bossy  columns  and 
peculiar  style  of  architecture  reminded  me  of  Rubens,  who 
lived  several  years  at  Genoa,  and  has  often  introduced  them 
into  his  pictures. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


257 


Genoa,  April  29th, 

At  a  short  distance  from  the  gate,  we  reached  a  public 
square,  the  chief  ornament  to  which  is  an  elegant  new  Gre- 
cian frontispiece  to  the  Theatre.  This  conducts  you  to  a 
course  of  streets  of  moderate  width,  but  of  great  magnifi- 
cence, being  lined  with  palaces  of  much  grandeur;  among 
them  is  that  of  the  king,  on  a  line  with  the  rest.  As  we 
entered  the  city  gate,  the  dowager  queen  arrived  from  the 
country  in  all  the  pomp  of  royalty;  and,  as  we  extended 
our  walk,  we  witnessed  a  fine  military  display,  called  out 
to  receive  the  king  from  a  more  distant  journey  at  the  op- 
posite gate,  accompanied  by  a  guard  of  horsemen  and  many 
carriages.  The  city  troops,  after  he  had  entered  the  pa- 
lace, kept  possession  of  the  street  till  his  majesty  had  rid 
himself  of  the  dust  of  the  roads  and  condescended  to  ap- 
pear at  his  window,  where  hung  a  crimson  velvet  curtain  to 
which  the  eyes  of  the  multitude  had  long  been  directed. 
I  was  surprised  to  hear  all  the  military  orders  given  in 
French. 

Travellers  who  enter  Genoa  from  France,  necessarily 
drive  through  those  streets  which  concentrate  all  the  pomp 
of  Genoa,  and  erroneously  agree  to  call  it  a  City  of  Palaces. 
With  but  few  spots  excepted,  to  which  the  breadth  of  some 
streets  permits  the  approach  of  carriages,  the  rest  of  the 
city,  consisting  of  plain  houses,  five,  six  and  seven  stories 
high,  is  intersected  by  passages  of  communication  for  per- 
sons on  foot,  through  which  sedan  chairs  only  are  occa- 
sionally seen  to  move  in  proud  luxury  of  rank,  or  for  the 
convenience  of  the  infirm.  Even  where  the  streets  are 
broad  enough  for  a  carriage,  and  sometimes  three  carriages 
to  pass,  none  are  permitted  to  incommode  the  inhabitants, 
who  traverse  them  with  great  convenience  and  comfort;  in 

33 


258 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


some  measure  atoning  for  the  evil  of  too  little  space.  It  is 
said  that  Genoa  was  founded  by  a  band  of  pirates, — they 
certainly  were  a  compact  set,  and  of  a  sociable  disposition. 

It  is  customary  to  take  a  boat  and  go  out  of  the  harbour 
to  judge  of  the  aspect  of  the  city  in  approaching  it  by  wa- 
ter. Projecting  into  the  basin,  or  harbour,  is  a  handsome 
pier,  or  wharf,  on  which  no  goods  are  landed,  and  surround- 
ed by  sail  boats  in  waiting.  A  noisy  crowd  of  boatmen 
here  surround  you,  offering  in  a  jargon  of  all  languages  to 
convey  you  to  the  light-house,  to  the  British  frigate,  or  to 
the  American  brig. 

Assisted  by  projecting  moles,  the  harbour  is  made  almost 
into  a  perfect  circle.  Advancing  to  the  mouth  of  it,  and 
looking  back  upon  the  city,  with  all  the  advantage  of  sun- 
shine, it  certainly  appears  handsome;  but  not,  as  it  is  com- 
monly described,  an  amphitheatre  of  palaces,  for  only  one 
palace  on  the  water's  edge  can  be  seen.  The  city  lies  chief- 
ly on  level  ground,  and  the  palaces  are  hidden  by  very  or- 
dinary buildings  between  them  and  the  water;  but  the  hills 
which  rise  at  one  side  are  sprinkled  with  a  goodly  sight  of 
white  houses,  quite  unornamented  with  trees.  Some  large, 
and  a  great  number  of  small  vessels  give  to  this  port  the 
appearance  of  more  business  than  any  other  I  have  seen  in 
Italy. 

The  churches,  which  are  less  conspicuous  externally  than 
the  palaces,  are  richly  ornamented  inside  with  the  goldsmith 
and  filligree  taste  which  prevailed  here  between  two  and  five 
hundred  years  ago.  They  are  overloaded  with  parts,  and 
profusely  gay  with  colours.  The  Cathedral,  with  its  Egyp- 
tian columns,  and  the  Jlnnunciata,  gay  with  coloured  mar- 
bles, have  nothing  else  worthy  of  remark.  In  the  ancient 
Church  of  St.  Stephano,  the  chief  altar-piece  is  a  picture, 
begun  by  Raphael,  and  finished  by  Giulio  Romano,  and, 
therefore,  kept  carefully  covered.  I  thought  it  a  dark  and 
heavy  picture,  possessing  but  little  of  the  grace  and  charac- 
ter of  Raphael.    But  the  church  most  renowned  for  its  pic- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY.  259 

tures,  in  all  Genoa,  is  that  of  St.  Ambrogio.  The  sacristan 
hastened  to  unveil  the  Assumption,  by  Guido;  it  possessed 
something  of  his  grace,  but  none  of  his  good  colour;  espe- 
cially when  contrasted  with  the  picture  directly  opposite  to 
it  by  Rubens,  representing  St.  Ignatius  relieving  a  Demo- 
niac, and  restoring  a  dead  Child.  This  picture  I  thought 
deserving  all  the  praise  it  has  received,  for  even  the  Italians 
commend  it  as  a  most  extraordinary  production  of  art;  com- 
bining excellent  composition,  good  drawing,  fine  expression, 
careful  finish,  and  the  subdued  richness  of  Rubens'  best  co- 
louring.   It  is  deservedly  the  boast  of  Genoa. 

The  ancient  residence  of  the  doges  is  externally  like  a 
great  square  fortress,  but,  within,  its  court  is  renewed  by  an 
elegant  modern  front  of  white  marble.  This  building  is  oc- 
cupied by  the  police  and  other  public  offices,  but  strangers 
are  conducted  into  the  hall  of  the  council  of  war,  which  is 
ornamented  with  a  large  painting  on  the  wall,  by  the  Cheva- 
lier Piatti,  intended  to  represent  the  Landing  of  Columbus 
in  the  Neiu  World;  the  artist,  however,  did  not  take  the 
trouble  to  find  out  that  the  Indians  were  not  white,  and  dis- 
plays Columbus  and  his  companions  as  splendid  as  princes  of 
the  opera.  The  adjoining  room,  the  great  council  chamber 
of  the  doge,  is  ornamented  with  elegant  marble  columns  and 
the  pedestals  of  twenty  statues,  which,  during  the  French  re- 
volution, were  knocked  down  and  broken  to  pieces.  Their 
places  are  supplied  with  temporary  figures,  composed  of  stuc- 
co heads,  hands  and  feet,  and  real  linen  for  drapery,  arranged 
over  bodies  and  limbs  stuffed  with  hay.  They  are  remark- 
ably beautiful,  and  precisely  such  as  would  be  proper  for  the 
sculptor  to  imitate  in  marble,  if  his  vanity  and  his  genius 
would  permit  him  to  pursue  such  a  course.  I  have  seen  se- 
veral such  figures  in  Rome  (especially  in  the  Farnesian  pa- 
lace) prepared  for  temporary  purposes,  and  often  exhibiting 
a  beauty  of  drapery  that  I  have  seldom  seen  equalled  in  the 
best  statuary,  ancient  or  modern.  This  can  be  accounted  for 
only  by  the  artist  being  led  astray  in  his  desire  to  show  his 


260 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


anatomical  knowledge  of  the  limbs,  which  induces  him  to  em- 
ploy imaginary  folds. 

The  Durazzo  Palace,  which  you  enter  by  most  magnifi- 
cent flights  of  marble  steps,  under  noble  arches  supported  by 
marble  columns,  contains  the  finest  collection  of  paintings, 
chiefly  the  works  of  Vandyck  and  Rubens;  and,  especially, 
an  exquisitely  beautiful  one  of  Three  Children,  painted  by 
Vandyck  in  his  best  and  most  substantial  manner.  Here  is, 
also,  a  good  picture  by  Guido,  The  Roman  Daughter,  but 
rather  slovenly  in  the  finishing. 

The  Palazzo  Rosso  ranks  next  for  the  value  of  its  pic- 
tures, and  contains  several  by  Vandyck,  especially  that  of 
The  Tribute  Money;  a  beautiful  small  picture  of  the 
nunciation  by  Ludovico  Caracci;  a  whole  length  Cleopa- 
tra by  Guercino;  a  beautiful  harmonious  little  Carlo  Dolce 
without  the  staring  offence  of  his  eternal  blue  drapery;  a 
Bacchus  by  Rubens;  and  some  good  paintings  by  a  Genoese 
youth  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  Pcllegrino  Piola,  who,  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  was  murdered  by  the  envious  Carloni,  whose 
inferior  works  offend  the  taste  and  dishonour  the  piety  of  se- 
veral churches.  The  last  work  of  the  ill-fated  youth,  Piola, 
is  a  most  exquisitely  beautiful  Holy  Family,  which  he  paint- 
ed for  the  company  of  goldsmiths,  and  which,  covered  with 
glass,  still  remains  as  a  pious  decoration  against  a  house  in 
the  street  of  the  goldsmiths. 

In  the  Palazzo  Spignola  is  a  whole  length  portrait  of  the 
Doge  Spignola,  by  Vandyck,  very  much  superior,  in  my  es- 
timation, to  his  more  celebrated  one  of  the  Cardinal  Benti- 
voglio,  in  the  Palazzo  Pitti  at  Florence,  which  enjoys  the 
advantages  of  travel  and  a  royal  residence.  In  one  of  the 
rooms  is  a  large  silver  dish,  hung  up  in  a  frame  as  a  picture, 
representing  in  basso  relievo,  in  its  centre,  Columbus  about 
to  embark  on  his  voyage  of  discovery,  executed  by  Benve- 
nuto  Cellini. 

The  pictures  in  the  Serra  Palace  are  of  very  moderate 
pretensions,  chiefly  by  an  artist  named  Gragetlo;  but  it  is  vi- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY.  261 

sited  on  account  of  a  saloon,  whose  fluted  marble  columns, 
bases,  capitals  and  friezes  are  all  gilt ;  immense  mirrors  fill 
up  the  intervals  between  the  columns  on  every  side,  and  mul- 
tiply the  rich  perspective  to  an  interminable  length.  It  is 
not  large,  but  it  is  said  to  be  the  richest  thing  of  the  kind  in 
the  world. 

The  dowager  Queen's  Palace  we  visited,  throughout  its 
whole  extent,  as  she  was  at  her  country  residence;  but  the 
old  lady  is  not  a  patroness  of  the  fine  arts,  for  she  suffers  no 
pictures  to  stain  the  damask  of  her  walls.  Our  attendant, 
with  much  satisfaction,  uncovered  a  rare  and  costly  table, 
entirely  incrusted  with  beautiful  pearl,  which  appears  to  be 
much  valued  by  her  and  her  two  maiden  daughters,  whose 
separate  bed-rooms  we  passed  through,  each  possessing,  un- 
used on  the  mantel-piece,  a  great  silver  Noah's  ark  inkstand. 

The  Doria  Palace,  outside  the  city  gate,  is  a  handsome 
edifice,  which,  from  its  garden  terrace,  commands  the  most 
beautiful  view  of  the  city  and  harbour.  The  prince,  who 
chooses  to  live  at  Rome,  does  not  leave  his  keys  behind, 
and  we  could  ;see  nothing  but  one  painted  corridor  by  Pietro 
del  Vanni,  in  which  are  to  be  found  some  well  grouped 
heads. 

In  passing  under  a  high  old  archway,  now  in  the  centre  of 
the  city,  but  formerly  its  boundary,  I  remarked  several  links 
of  a  great  chain,  hung  up  as  a  trophy,  which  was  taken  from 
Pisa,  where  it  was  stretched  across  the  harbour.  Near  this 
an  old  house  is  honoured  with  four  links  of  the  same  chain 
hanging  from  the  corner;  it  was  the  residence  of  the  admi- 
ral who  commanded  the  expedition  against  Pisa :  and  on  ano- 
ther house,  beneath  a  marble  carving  representing  the  three 
towers  of  Pisa,  hang  two  other  links  of  the  same  chain,  to 
distinguish  the  residence  of  the  locksmith,  whose  files  and  in- 
trepidity effected  a  passage  into  the  harbour.  It  was  the  vic- 
tory of  the  locksmith  over  the  blacksmith,  and  the  boast  of 
the  goldsmith. 

Genoa  is  enclosed  within  double  walls,  and  surrounded 


262 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


with  fortifications  at  every  point,  and  on  the  neighbouring 
eminences.  One  of  these  fortified  points,  high  above  the 
sea  which  washes  its  base,  affords  a  very  beautiful  prospect 
of  the  bay  and  the  distant  promontories,  villas  and  gardens, 
spread  over  the  neighbouring  hills,  and  a  zigzag  line  of  for- 
tifications stretching  up  the  green  valley.  One  of  the  most 
interesting  objects  seen  from  this  spot  is  an  elegant  and  ex- 
tensive building,  beautifully  situated  on  a  hill  outside  the  city, 
in  which  two  hundred  poor  females  are  employed  in  making 
artificial  flowers;  the  establishment  was  commenced  by  a 
noble  family,  and  always  continued  by  their  descendants,  at 
their  private  charge,  and  under  their  direction. 

On  this  high  ground  there  is  a  handsome  church,  to  which 
a  bridge  leads,  crossing  over  a  valley  of  houses,  to  an  oppo- 
site hill,  which  subsides  into  the  heart  of  the  city.  Immense 
piers  support  two  arches,  which  compose  the  bridge,  high 
above  the  tops  of  houses,  though  they  are  seven  stories 
Formerly  many  persons  committed  suicide  by  throwing  them- 
selves from  this  elevation,  but  at  present,  a  sentinel,  day  and 
night,  is  stationed  to  prevent  such  an  act.  Desirous  of  look- 
ing over  the  parapet,  I  stepped  for  a  moment  on  a  seat  against 
the  wall,  which  the  sentinel  immediately  commanded  me  to 
leave. 

Connected  with  the  walk  on  the  ramparts  is  a  fine  public 
promenade,  recently  made,  which  is  much  frequented  in  the 
evening;  though  the  quiet  streets,  undisturbed  by  carriages, 
are  themselves  agreeable  promenades,  especially  on  Sundays. 
From  this  promenade  is  seen,,  in  a  commanding  situation,  a 
large  country  house  built  for  Oliver  Cromwell. 

A  beautiful  avenue,  the  only  one  I  saw  in  Genoa,  rises  to 
the  splendid  Jllbergo  dei  poveri,  which  is  really  the  hotel 
of  the  poor.  Broad  marble  steps  conduct  you  to  a  spacious 
hall,  ornamented  with  a  number  of  statues,  of  Doges,  and 
other  persons  who  have  contributed  funds  to  endow  a  hospi- 
tal, which  now  supports  upwards  of  eleven  hundred  females, 
and  seven  hundred  males.    This  hall  opens  into  a  handsome 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


263 


church,  containing  on  both  sides  a  continuation  of  the  sta- 
tues of  benefactors,  and  on  its  altar  a  Group  of  Angels 
and  a  Madonna,  by  Puget.  A  medallion  basso  relievo,  by 
Michael  Angelo,  which  is  preserved  near  the  altar,  would 
attract  little  notice  with  any  other  name.  It  shows  nothing 
but  the  heads  and  shoulders ;  those  of  the  Christ  are  good, 
but  the  Mother  not  only  wants  beauty,  but  expression. 

The  poor  never  enter  the  body  of  the  church,  but  remain 
in  large  halls,  on  each  side  of  the  altar,  which  they  see 
through  a  spacious  window;  the  men  on  one  side  and  the  wo- 
men on  the  other;  and  they  are  divided  into  distinct  classes, 
the  unmarried  having  no  intercourse  with  the  married.  The 
men  are  permitted  to  go  out  twice  a  week,  the  women  never. 
A  pious  lady,  whose  statue  is  in  the  hall,  representing  her 
with  pots  at  her  feet  overflowing  with  money,  left  a  fund  for 
marrying,  annually,  twenty-four  women  out  of  this  institu- 
tion, with  a  gift  of  thirty-one  dollars  each.  This  marriage 
portion,  besides  the  money  which  they  usually  have  saved 
from  their  earnings,  makes  them  desirable  objects  to  respec- 
table peasants  or  farmers,  who  state  to  the  directors  what 
kind  of  wife  they  desire,  and  choose  from  those  which  the 
directors  may  select  Our  guide,  a  respectable  old  man, 
long  resident  in  the  institution,  says,  they  are  generally  glad 
to  get  out  in  this  manner,  without  the  ceremony  of  court- 
ship, or  any  share  in  choosing  their  partners  for  life. 

In  all  these  extensive  walks,  and  throughout  all  the  streets 
of  Genoa,  during  Sunday  afternoon,  among  thousands  of  wo- 
men, I  did  not  see  more  than  three  bonnets;  the  universal 
custom  with  young  and  old  being  to  wear  white  or  coloured 
shawls  over  their  heads  and  shoulders,  leaving  their  faces, 
and  sometimes  their  necks  exposed.  Their  dress,  otherwise, 
is  French,  except  that  black  silk  prevails  with  the  rich,  and 
coloured  cottons  among  the  poor,  who  generally  carry  their 
little  fortunes  of  gold  in  great  filligree  bunches  at  their  ears, 
or  wrapped  in  heavy  folds  of  chain  around  their  necks. 


264 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


The  nobles  are  said  to  be  fond  of  rich  jewelry,  which  is  too 
evident  in  their  portraits  by  Vandyck. 

The  fine  arts  are  not  patronised  by  the  government,  and 
there  is  no  public  gallery  in  Genoa;  yet  on  a  small  scale  the 
nobility  have  maintained  a  school  of  the  arts,  which  is  now 
about  to  acquire  more  consequence,  as  a  building  has  just 
been  erected  for  this  purpose,  at  the  expense  of  the  city,  on 
the  public  square  adjoining  the  theatre.  There  is  no  artist 
of  any  celebrity  established  here,  and  the  Genoese  painters 
have  been  obliged  to  go  to  Florence  to  study.  Among  the 
works  of  the  old  painters  who  have  decorated  the  churches 
and  palaces,  I  saw  nothing  that  pleased  me  so  well  as  the 
pictures  of  the  unfortunate  Piola.  Yet  a  vast  amount  of  to- 
lerable art  has  been  employed  in  covering  the  outsides  of 
houses  and  court  yards,  with  historic  compositions  and  archi- 
tectural imitations.  One  of  the  most  extensive  of  this  kind 
is  a  large  house  inhabited  by  the  British  consul,  entirely  co- 
vered with  paintings.  In  an  open  hall  leading  to  the  court 
yard,  the  walls  are  occupied  with  paintings  imitating  yellow 
bronze  statues  of  fourteen  distinguished  men,  among  whom 
the  most  conspicuous  is  Columbus.  But  few  of  these  paint- 
ed houses  remain,  having  given  place  to  a  neat  ornamented 
style  of  building,  which  is  called  the  English  taste. 

In  order  to  get  out  of  Genoa,  there  being  only  two  gates, 
it  was  necessary  to  make  the  entire  circuit  of  the  harbour  to 
the  very  light-house  itself,  which  is  a  sort  of  fortress.  The 
peasants  along  this  road,  which  skirted  the  sea  for  some  dis- 
tance, appeared  with  heads,  necks,  and  bosoms  exposed,  and 
so  brown,  that  they  might  be  mistaken  for  dark  mulattoes  or 
negroes.  I  noticed,  at  every  mill  we  passed,  a  smooth  stone 
terrace  for  drying  wheat,  after  it  has  been  washed;  which 
they  do  first  in  a  copper  bucket,  pouring  off  what  floats,  and 
then  in  a  sieve,  removing  all  dirt.  This  remarkable  nicety 
induced  me  to  buy  a  loaf  of  coarse  bread,  at  a  neighbouring 
miller's;  and  I  ate  it  with  a  conviction  of  its  purity,  which, 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


265 


I  am  sorry  to  say,  I  never  had  at  home,  where  many  things 
are  ground  up  with  the  wheat,  repulsive,  at  least,  to  the  ima- 
gination. 

Several  hours  were  passed  in  winding  up  and  down  an 
apparently  never  ending  mountain.  The  road  was  excellent, 
but  there  was  little  in  the  scenery  to  interest  the  eye,  though 
more  agreeable  than  the  other  mountains  I  had  crossed,  be- 
cause here  were  some  farm  houses  and  little  patches  of  gar- 
dens and  trees.  We  at  length  opened  upon  an  immense 
plain,  highly  cultivated,  and  pierced  by  roads  of  tedious 
length  and  straightness. 

After  entering  the  Duchy  of  Parma,  the  surface  became 
more  varied,  and  so  much  resembling  America,  that  I  might 
have  imagined  myself  at  home,  but  for  the  brown  inhabi- 
tants, and  the  white  and  cream  coloured  oxen,  which,  in 
great  numbers  were  yoked  to  loaded  wagons;  these  would 
be  stared  at  for  their  fantastic  clumsiness,  as  they  were  com- 
posed of  small  wheels,  immense  massive  carved  timbers  and 
trusses  supporting  a  bed  of  planks  which  rise  from  the  centre 
over  the  wheels  at  each  side. 

A  little  leisure  before  dark  was  sufficient  to  survey  the 
city  of  Piacenza,  a  fortified  city  of  thirty  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, in  the  midst  of  an  immense  plain.  The  public  square 
is  ornamented  with  two  bronze  Equestrian  statues  of  Par- 
mesan dukes,  presenting  the  greatest -amount  of  bronze  in  a 
wThirlwind  of  motion  that  I  ever  saw  fixed  in  statuary. 
These  statues  were  in  front  of  an  old  Gothic,  town-hall-like 
looking  building,  the  name  of  which  I  in  vain  inquired  of 
the  shopkeepers  who  had  it  before  their  eyes  every  day. 
Several  of  the  old  churches  show  that  the  arts  were  former- 
ly not  unknown  here,  some  of  the  frescoes  being  executed 
with  much  spirit.  The  cathedral  is  a  Gothic  building,  the 
inside  of  which  possesses  great  grandeur  from  the  height  of 
its  arches,  and  the  magnitude  of  its  columns.  It  is  profuse- 
ly ornamented  with  paintings. 

34 


266 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


Another  long  course  over  the  plain  brought  us  to  the  dull 
town  of  Borgo  San  Domino,  which  is  said  to  be  seated  on 
the  Stirona,  a  gravel  bed  for  a  mountain  torrent,  without  a 
rill  of  water  in  it.  After  a  glance  at  the  cathedral,  which 
is  a  curious  ancient  Saxon  Gothic  structure,  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  say  that  the  residences  of  all  the  inhabitants  look  like 
poor-houses,  and  the  poor-house,  built  by  Napoleon,  resem- 
bling a  palace,  is  the  only  ornament  of  the  town. 

A  repetition  of  the  long  straight  level  road  brought  us  to 
Parma,  after  crossing  a  magnificent  bridge  of  twenty  arches, 
ornamented  at  each  end  with  marble  statuary.  It  stretches 
over  a  wide,  dry  gravel  bed,  which  is  said  to  be  sometimes 
a  dangerous  torrent,  and  may  then  be  called  the  Taro,  as 
permanently  marked  on  the  maps,  and  resounded  in  the 
guide  books. 

Thus  for  three  days  have  we  been  travelling  over  the  sun- 
ny plains  of  Italy,  with  dim  mountains  perceptible  only  on 
one  side,  and  not  a  cloud  to  mitigate  the  fervour  of  a  burn- 
ing sun;  whilst  clouds  of  dust,  which  has  not  been  wet  since 
February,  entirely  hide  the  carriages  that  pass  us.  These 
well  cultivated  plains  are  no  doubt  very  pleaasnt  to  their  pro- 
prietors, who  care  so  little  for  the  idle  travellers  on  the  road, 
that  the  cropped  trees  are  not  suffered  to  shoot  out  their 
branches  with  a  little  shade,  as  in  France;  but  they  possess 
no  picturesque  beauty,  and  may  well  be  passed  post  haste. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


267 


Parma,  May  6th. 

Parma  is  enclosed  by  a  wall,  which  within  is  embanked 
and  planted  with  trees  and  shrubbery,  with  various  addition- 
al avenues  and  groups,  together  with  the  royal  gardens,  con- 
stituting delightful  walks  and  rides  for  the  inhabitants,  who, 
otherwise,  in  the  burning  plain  around,  could  have  little  to 
enjoy.  The  streets  are  paved  with  pebbles  from  the  torrent 
course,  but  are  furnished  with  side  walks.  The  buildings 
generally  are  old  and  plain.  In  the  centre  of  the  city,  a 
large  paved  square,  surrounded  by  small  shops  and  a  portico 
as  an  exchange,  serves  as  a  market  place  in  the  morning. 
Another  open  space  is  embellished  with  an  elegant  new 
theatre,  lately  built  by  Maria  Louisa,  adjoining  her  resi* 
dence,  which  is  remarkably  plain  but  neat,  and  which  she 
prefers  to  a  more  splendid  palace,  at  the  extremity  of  the 
city,  surrounded  by  elegant  gardens.  This  palace  of  the 
gardens  was  inhabited  by  Napoleon,  and  contains  some  good 
frescoes  by  Agostino  Caracci,  and  fine  old  tapestry  from  the 
gay  compositions  of  Boucher. 

The  churches  are  the  principal  decorations  of  the  city, 
and,  unlike  those  of  Florence,  are,  with  some  exceptions, 
finished  outside.  Within  they  are  generally  of  a  grand 
and  simple  style  of  architecture,  but  the  pilasters,  walls, 
ceilings  and  arches  are  too  profusely  covered  with  paintings 
and  gildings  in  a  crowded  and  confused  style,  in  which  it 
is  a  difficult  task  to  hunt  out  the  best  designs  of  Parmigiano 
and  his  scholars.  To  one  who  has  visited  Naples  and  Rome, 
it  is  no  novelty  to  find  the  marbles  in  these  churches  rich 
and  well  wrought;  but  the  statuary  is  evidently  too  much 
affected  by  the  Parmigianino  taste. 


268 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


The  painting  by  Corregio  on  the  cupola  of  the  Cathedral 
I  did  not  find  so  much  damaged  as  I  expected;  but  so  small, 
(being  only  about  thirty-six  feet  in  diameter)  so  high  and  so 
dark,  that  it  was  impossible  to  distinguish  any  thing  well 
from  the  pavement  of  the  church,  and  therefore  it  appeared 
to  me  a  gross  misapplication  of  extraordinary  talents.  It 
was  only  when  I  ascended  the  old  spiral  stairs  which  led 
behind  the  base  of  the  cupola,  and  with  difficulty  stooped 
to  look  through  little  openings  like  loop  holes,  that  I  could 
distinctly  see  some  of  the  beautiful  figures  of  this  elabo- 
rate and  boasted  composition  of  Corregio.  The  painting 
on  this  cupola  is  not  only  badly  lighted,  but  much  injured 
by  circular  windows  which  pierce  it  in  the  midst  of  the 
figures.  The  perspective  effects,  when  viewed  from  the 
pavement,  are  certainly  false,  as  they  are  generally  true 
from  these  little  loop  holes;  where,  if  the  accommodation 
were  better,  there  would  be  much  enjoyment  in  unravelling 
a  design  which  evinces  the  greatest  knowledge  of  colour, 
light  and  shade,  form  and  grace  of  expression. 

In  the  Church  of  San  Giovanni  Evangelista  is  another 
cupola  painted  by  Corregio,  so  entirely  unilluminated,  that 
I  could  distinguish  neither  form  nor  colour;  but  the  alcove 
over  the  altar,  likewise  by  Corregio,  is  well  lighted.  The 
principal  figure,  the  Madonna,  was  cut  out  of  the  wall, 
and  is  preserved  in  the  public  library,  and  its  place  filled 
with  a  copy,  matching  the  rest  of  the  painting,  in  fresco, 
by  Parmigiano;  but  a  copy  by  lumbal  Caracci,  which  is 
to  be  seen  in  the  Royal  Academy,  gives  a  much  better  idea 
of  Corregio,  and  is  more  beautiful  than  even  the  original  in 
its  present  damaged  state. 

The  church  called  the  Stoccata  is  excessively  overloaded 
on  its  vast  expanse  of  plastered  walls,  arches  and  ceilings, 
with  the  studies  of  Parmigiano  and  his  scholars,  among  the 
bewildering  mazes  of  which  I  was  a  long  time  hunting  for 
the  figure  of  Moses  breaking  the  Tables  of  the  Law,  which 
at  last  I  discovered  on  the  narrow  edge  of  the  great  arch 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


269 


that  spans  the  altar.  It  struck  me  that  this  artist  must  have 
acquired  his  vicious  habit  of  drawing  his  figures  too  long 
and  slender,  by  working  on  these  narrow  pilasters  and 
arches.  This  sublime  figure  of  Moses,  however,  although 
false  when  literally  copied  on  a  plane  level  with  the  eye, 
becomes  rightly  foreshortened  on  its  curved  surface  when 
it  is  viewed  from  below.  It  should  be  copied  as  it  appears 
from  the  pavement. 

In  the  suppressed  Monastery  of  St.  Paul,  where  still  a 
number  of  old  nuns  are  eking  out  their  span  of  life,  is  a 
room  called  the  Camera  di  Diana,  who  is  represented  on 
a  car,  ( The  Triumph  of  Chastity,)  painted  on  the  chimney 
wall;  and  there  are  sixteen  lunettes  or  ovals  on  the  coved 
ceiling,  representing  children  in  various  sports,  with  other 
decorations,  all  by  Corregio.  His  high  reputation  seems  to 
have  satisfied  these  daughters  of  chastity  to  be  brought  un- 
der the  influence  of  the  heathen  goddess,  by  an  artist  who 
was  notoriously  fond  of  painting  Danaes  and  Ledas.  There 
is  some  beauty  in  parts  of  these  pictures,  and  they  help  to 
make  out  the  sum  total  of  Corregio  as  he  is  to  be  known  at 
Parma. 

But  the  chef  d'ozuvre,  of  Corregio,  at  least  here,  is  his  Holy 
Family,  called  the  St.  Gerome,  who  with  his  lion  deforms 
the  left  hand  side  of  the  picture,  where  he  was  placed  by 
Corregio,  either  for  contrast  or  because  he  did  not  know 
how  else  to  balance  his  group  and  gain  force  of  colour. 
This  picture,  which,  it  is  said,  cost  the  government  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  was  one  of  the  most  valued  ornaments  of 
the  Napoleon  Gallery  at  Paris;  and  is  probably  the  more 
esteemed  since  its  restoration.  Corregio's  bust  is  placed 
over  the  picture.  There  are  in  the  academy  some  other 
pictures  by  this  artist,  but  very  inferior  to  this  exquisitely 
beautiful  group. 

The  Royal  Academy  contains  but  few  good  pictures: — 
A  bad  Raphael;  two  bright  but  hard  Schedones;  a  dirty 
Titian  and  colossal  Caraccis.    Here  are  two  fine  broken 


270 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


statues  of  Egyptian  basalt,  particularly  one  of  Bacchus; 
and  several  statues  dug  out  of  the  ruins  of  Velleia.  Some 
other  rooms,  in  another  part  of  the  building,  contain,  beside 
other  antiquities,  a  great  number  of  articles  of  brass,  stone, 
&c,  found  in  the  recent  excavations  of  that  city,  which  was 
overwhelmed  by  the  fall  of  a  mountain  of  the  Appennines 
fourteen  hundred  years  ago,  and  only  recently  discovered. 
Among  them  is  a  plate  of  copper  about  nine  feet  long  and 
four  wide,  covered  with  an  engraved  contract  for  the  nou- 
rishment and  care  of  three  children  of  the  Emperor  Trajan. 
One  case  contains  a  number  of  beautiful  gold  coins  of  an- 
cient Rome,  which  were  found  in  digging  the  foundation 
for  the  New  Theatre. 

The  rooms  containing  these  paintings  and  statues,  are  fit- 
ted up  in  a  noble  style  and  are  part  of  a  great  ancient  pa- 
lace, which,  besides  the  cabinet  of  antiquities,  contains  an 
elegant  and  valuable  library,  and  the  ruinous  remains  of  a 
great  theatre.  That  building  was  large  enough  to  hold  nine 
thousand  persons:  the  seats  are  in  the  style  of  the  ancient 
amphitheatres,  rising  from  the  arena  to  the  wall,  which  is 
ornamented  with  architectural  devices  and  statuary;  but  the 
whole  being  of  wood,  is  in  a  perishing  condition,  and  not 
used  since  the  erection  of  the  New  Theatre. 

I  suffered  my  guide  to  introduce  me  into  a  part  of  the 
palace  occupied  by  the  Arch  Duchess,  where  strangers  are 
shown  a  beautiful  model  of  the  bridge  which  Maria  Louisa 
has  lately  built,  and  the  splendid  toilet  presented  to  her  by 
the  city  of  Paris,  with  the  cradle  of  the  young  Napoleon. 
These  articles,  chair,  wash-stand,  mirror  frame,  table,  &c. 
are  of  solid  silver  gilt,  enriched  with  lapis  lazuli,  and  cost 
two  millions  five  hundred  thousand  francs  for  the  mere  ma- 
terials, and  seven  hundred  thousand  francs  for  the  fashion  or 
making. 

At  the  house  of  the  widow  of  the  celebrated  Bodoni,  we 
were  shown  the  steel  stamps  of  his  surprisingly  extensive 
sets  of  alphabets,  and  splendid  editions  of  classic  works  in 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


271 


several  languages,  printed  with  his  types.  Among  others, 
several  large  works  descriptive  of  the  paintings  in  Parma, 
with  an  etching  of  each. 

In  a  visit  to  the  studio  of  Toschi,  the  celebrated  en- 
graver of  Gerard's  Picture  of  Henry  IV,  entering  Paris, 
we  found  him  engaged  in  finishing  two  large  plates  of  Ra- 
phael's Christ  bearing  the  Cross,  which  is  at  Madrid, 
and  Volterra's  Descent  from  the  Cross.  These  he  is  en- 
graving from  beautiful  drawings  made  by  himself  from  the 
original  pictures;  an  advantage  not  always  possessed  by  the 
engraver,  and  seldom  practised  by  those  of  Italy. 

The  old  Saxon  Gothic  Baptistery  of  Parma,  adjoining 
the  cathedral,  looks  as  if  it  had  been  soaked  in  dirty  lamp 
oil.  Passing  by  it  when  the  door  happened  to  be  open,  I 
found  its  inside  uglier  than  its  outside;  yet  perhaps  it  might 
delight  some  antiquarian. 

Parma  offered  no  temptations  to  prolong  my  stay;  nor 
does  the  road  to  Modena  present  any  thing  to  be  remem- 
bered. Modena  might  have  occupied  a  longer  time,  but  a 
change  of  horses  and  a  short  rest  only  permitted  a  hasty 
glance  at  the  pictures  in  the  Palace  of  the  Duke.  Many  of 
them  are  by  the  oldest  painters,  some  by  names  that  sound 
well,  such  as  Guido,  Garofolo,  Guercino,  &c. ;  but  the  only 
thing  that  rewarded  me  for  my  trouble  was  a  copy  by  Che- 
valier Nogari,  of  Corregio's  master-piece  called  The  Night, 
which  is  at  Dresden.  In  no  other  picture  that  I  have  seen, 
where  the  idea'has  been  adopted,  did  the  light  really  appear 
to  proceed  from  the  child. 

From  Modena  the  road,  still  level,  passes  through  fields 
with  thickset  rows  of  trees,  from  which  the  grape  vines  are 
suspended  in  festoons,  giving  it  a  more  agreeable  character. 
The  Appennines,  which  we  had  so  long  seen  only  at  a  dis- 
tance, were  now  close  by,  and  Bologna  enjoys  the  advan- 
tages of  the  plain  on  one  side  and  agreeable  mountains  on 
the  other;  on  one  of  which  appears  the  Church  of  the 
Madonna  delta  Guardia  with  its  covered  passage  winding 


272 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


down  the  mountain  to  one  of  the  city  gates;  and  on  other 
mounts  the  Church  of  St.  Michael  in  Bosco,  and  various 
elegant  villas. 


Bologna,  May  6  th. 

Bologna  presents  the  singular  character  of  a  city  com- 
posed of  streets,  with  few  exceptions,  lined  with  arcades, 
many  of  which  are  of  lofty  and  elegant  proportions,,  and  the 
arches  supported  by  stone  columns,  with  handsome  bases 
and  capitals,  though  generally  they  are  of  plastered  brick. 
Contrary  to  expectations  derived  from  the  guide  books,  I 
found  the  streets  wide  enough  for  two  three,  and  four  car- 
riages to  pass.  When  to  this  breadth  is  added  the  wide 
footways,  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  on  each  side,  it  must  be 
affirmed  that  it  is  an  elegance  of  accommodation  superior  to 
any  thing  I  have  seen  in  Italy.  A  very  few  ignoble  streets, 
by  the  ordinary  style  of  building  and  clumsiness  of  the  ar- 
cades might  "suggest  to  a  captious  temper  an  unfavourable 
judgment;  but  in  the  best  portions  of  the  city,  the  neat  ele- 
gance in  the  style  of  the  buildings  and  the  magnificence  of 
the  long  ranges  of  columnated  arcades,  impressed  me  with 
more  pleasure  than  all  the  useless  trumpery  of  ostentatious 
decoration,  which  characterise  the  palaces  of  Rome  and  Na- 
ples, with  the  exception  of  some  of  their  noble  court  yards. 

The  great  square  is  ornamented  by  a  fountain  which  ranks 
as  one  of  the  greatest  works  of  John  of  Bologna.  It  is  a  fine 
colossal  figure  of  Neptune  standing  on  a  high  pedestal,  on 
the  corners  of  which  children  are  seated.  The  corners  of 
the  pedestal  are  rounded  off,  with  athletic,  yet  graceful  wa- 
ter nymphs,  each  pressing  jets  of  water  from  her  breasts; 
the  whole  enormous  pyramid  is  of  highly  finished  bronze, 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


273 


but,  by  the  action  of  the  air  now  resembling  stone,  for 
which  it  is  generally  mistaken. 

The  Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts,  called  the  Pinacoteca, 
is  in  a  spacious  building.  Several  small,  and  two  large  ele- 
gant halls  contain  the  paintings,  which  commence  with  a  col- 
lection of  little  Gothic  altar-pieces  by  the  early  masters,  and 
conclude  with  the  most  esteemed  works,  all  altar-pieces,  by 
the  Caraccis,  Guido,  Domenichino,  and  others. 

The  largest  and  most  vaunted  picture  by  Guido,  is  that 
called  The  Pieta.  It  represents  a  number  of  monks  in  the 
lower  part,  whilst  the  upper  portion  consists  of  a  curtain  or 
banner,  on  which  is  represented  a  painting  of  the  Virgin 
grieving  over  the  dead  body  of  Christ.  It  is  more  care- 
fully drawn  than  was  usual  with  this  artist,  but  the  colouring 
is  cold,  and  the  shadows  are  black,  A  smaller  picture,  though 
of  a  more  horrible  and  revolting  subject,  the  Murder  of  the 
Innocents,  pleased  me  infinitely  more  in  the  soft  glow  and 
harmony  of  its  colour,  and  its  forcible  expression,  particular- 
ly in  one  child,  near  the  centre  of  the  picture,  richly  sha- 
dowed, and  crying  most  admirably.  The  Crucifixion,  by 
Guido,  is  black  and  disagreeable;  and  a  large  picture  called 
the  Pallione,  by  the  same  painter,  though  highly  finished, 
offends  me  by  too  great  an  expanse  of  lead  colour  and  pale 
flesh.  But,  again,  a  smaller  picture,  Sampson  triumphant 
over  the  Philistines,  is  of  unusual  richness  and  harmony  of 
colour,  and  more  in  the  style  of  the  latest  and  best  works  of 
Guido  which  are  at  Naples, 

Several  large  pictures  by  the  Caraccis,  particularly  the 
Nativity  of  the  Virgin  and  the  Transfiguration,  exhibit 
the  grand  style  of  this  school,  in  vigorous  form  and  depth  of 
tone ;  though  deficient  in  richness,  which  might  occasionally 
have  been  permitted  without  degrading  them  into  the  orna- 
mental style,  as  some  able  critics  have  feared.  Ludovico's 
Assumption  of  the  Virgin  is  one  of  the  most  rich  and  har- 
monious. Domenichino's  barbarous  Martyrdom  of  St.  Ag- 
nes and  his  Madonna  del  Rosario,  composed  of  savage 

35 


274 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


murderers,  distressed  saints  and  crying  angels,  exhibits  his 
most  elaborate  skill  and  the  mechanism  of  his  industrious  in- 
genuity. In  Guercino's  St.  Gulielmo,  the  Virgin  and  chil- 
dren, and  the  clouds  and  angel  at  her  feet,  are  the  most  beau- 
tiful things  I  have  ever  seen  of  his  work,  for  grace,  spirit  of 
composition  and  beauty  of  colouring.  And  in  the  St.  Ceci- 
lia, by  Raphael,  though  some  barbarian  brush  has  repainted 
his  clouds  of  a  most  injurious  blue  colour,  yet  the  heads  and 
draperies  are  among  the  most  rich  and  powerful  things  he 
ever  did.  Here  is  an  elegant  Portrait  of  Clement  XIII. 
by  Raphael  Mengs;  one  of  the  best  works  of  Vasari,  his  St. 
Gregorio;  and  some  excellent  pictures  by  Elizabeth  Sirani, 
particularly  her  St.  Antonio. 

The  young  artists  who  were  at  work  in  the  rooms,  were, 
as  is  usual  in  Italy,  copying  the  worst  things;  governed  by 
the  prejudices  of  blind  writers  and  affected  connoisseurs,  ra- 
ther than  by  their  own  eyes  or  the  judgment  of  impartial  ar- 
tists. 

The  Palazzo  Zamhaccari  contains  a  great  number  of  old 
pictures,  which  are  curious  in  the  early  history  of  the  art, 
but  as  little  interesting  as  old  black-letter  legends.  The  nu- 
merous rooms  contain  the  names  of  the  most  celebrated  ar- 
tists, particularly  of  Bologna;  but  few  of  the  pictures  made 
me  desire  to  dwell  on  them  or  see  them  a  second  time.  They 
are,  besides,  in  bad  dirty  condition,  and  dull  for  want  of  var- 
nish. 

The  Palazzo  Mareschalchi,  though  less  celebrated  pos- 
sesses some  pictures  that  are  more  agreeable.  The  count 
had  just  finished  reading  Cooper's  last  novel ;  spoke  of  the 
advances  we  were  making  in  refinement  and  taste  in  Ameri- 
ca ;  and  presented  me  with  a  manuscript  catalogue  of  all  his 
pictures,  with  a  respectable  price  annexed  to  each. 

I  had  the  curiosity  to  walk  through  the  covered  way  which 
winds  up  to  the  Church  of  the  Madonna  delta  Guardia. 
This  portico,  or  covered  passage,  composed  of  six  hundred 
and  forty  arches,  is  nothing  more  than  a  side  wall  with  seve- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


275 


ral  series  of  arcades,  supported  on  square  columns,  all  of 
brick,  exactly  like  the  covered  ways  in  the  city,  sometimes 
open  at  one  side  and  sometimes  at  the  other.  The  first  por- 
tion of  it  being  level,  forms  a  long  and  agreeable  promenade; 
but  the  latter  portions,  steep  and  occasionally  rising  with 
steps,  become  in  the  length  of  three  miles,  extremely  fatiguing, 
except  to  those  who,  not  satisfied  with  the  pious  stations 
which  occur  in  the  route,  deviate  at  certain  distances  into 
wine  shops  and  rest  over  a  bottle.  You  are,  however,  at 
last  well  compensated  by  the  extensive  view  from  the  top, 
looking  down  on  the  entire  panorama  of  Bologna,  brown  with 
brick  tiles,  brick  steeples  and  square  towers,  and,  almost  en- 
circling it,  the  sea-like  level  of  the  plain  as  far  as  the  distant 
horizon  towards  Venice.  The  church,  circular  outsiders  of 
the  shape  of  an  elegant  Greek  cross  within,  but  contains  no- 
thing extraordinary. 

A  more  picturesque  walk  is  obtained  to  a  smaller  and  near- 
er hill,  on  which  stands  the  suppressed  church  and  convent 
of  St.  Michaele  in  Bosco,  as  it  looks  down  into  beauti- 
ful valleys  and  on  hills,  decorated  with  elegant  villas.  This 
church,  library  and  convent  were  used  by  the  French  as  bar- 
racks, and  the  soldiers  nearly  destroyed  all  the  frescos  by 
Guido  and  the  Caraccis  which  covered  the  walls  of  an  inte- 
rior portico.  Just  enough  remains  to  show  the  hand  of  the 
masters.  The  unfinished  church  contains  four  beautiful  groups 
of  children,  painted  by  Cignani,  which  were  out  of  the  reach 
of  bayonets  ;  and  the  ceiling  of  the  library  is  rich  with  fes- 
toons of  fruit  and  flowers,  and  some  most  animated  and  vigo- 
rously executed  figures  by  Canuti.  No  furniture  remains  but 
a  fine  organ,  reposing  in  melancholy  silence. 

The  Cathedral  possesses  a  fresco  by  L.  Caracci,  said  to 
be  his  last  work;  it  is  the  Virgin  on  the  top  of  one  house 
and  the  announcing  Jingel  on  the  top  of  another;  and 
another  picture,  the  Delivery  of  the  Keys  to  Peter.  Many 
other  pictures  in  the  churches  of  Bologna  are  equally  worthy 


276 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


of  examination,  but  they  are  in  general  badly  lighted,  dirty 
and  in  want  of  varnish. 

A  great  concourse  of  young  men  occupied  the  arcades,  or 
piazza,  of  the  extensive  buildings  of  the  Pontifical  University, 
waiting  for  the  hour  of  lecture.  I  entered  the  room  where 
the  professor  of  physiology  was  to  lecture.  Being  a  few  mi- 
nutes past  the  hour,  the  students  were  as  noisy  as  the  boys  in 
one  of  our  theatres,  though  they  were  to  receive  gratuitous 
instruction.  The  professor,  when  he  entered,  seemed  to  con- 
sider the  noise  as  complimentary.  Having  found  the  custode, 
I  was  conducted  into  the  various  halls,  or  cabinets ;  of  natu- 
ral philosophy,  which  are  supplied  with  an  extensive  and  ele- 
gant apparatus  for  demonstration;  of  anatomy,  which  are 
only  inferior  to  those  of  Florence  in  the  wax  preparations ; 
of  antiquities,  which  possess  many  articles  of  peculiar  inte- 
rest; and  of  natural  history,  enriched  with  specimens  from 
all  the  kingdoms  of  nature.  The  library  occupies  exten- 
sive and  commodious  halls,  which  presented  the  unusual  spec- 
tacle in  Italy  of  eighty  or  ninety  persons  engaged  in  silent 
study  at  the  various  tables.  The  walls  are  covered  with  the 
portraits  of  learned  men  and  benefactors  to  the  institution. 
In  one  of  the  lodges  is  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  Gal- 
vani,  and,  in  one  of  the  rooms,  a  fine  mosaic  portrait  of  Be- 
nedict XIV.  Among  the  philosophical  apparatus  was  a  nu- 
merous series  showing  the  progress  in  the  improvement  of 
barometers,  thermometers,  air-pumps,  galvanic  apparatus,  &c. 
Among  the  antiques  is  a  large  case  of  beautiful  works  in  ivo- 
ry, and  specimens  of  the  early  porcelain  of  Urbino,  with  the 
first  compositions  of  Raphael  painted  on  some  of  them  when 
he  was  but  a  youth.  The  animals,  though  sufficiently  nume- 
rous, in  the  department  of  natural  history,  are  not  well  pre- 
served; and  the  minerals  are  less  splendid  than  those  of  Flo- 
rence. Here  is  a  mass  of  native  load-stone  from  the  island 
of  Elba  which  weighs  eight  hundred  and  thirty-five  pounds. 

Leaving  Bologna  to  proceed  to  Venice,  we  passed  over 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


277 


level  straight  roads,  between  fields  well  cultivated,  but  thin- 
ly inhabited,  except,  as  usual,  in  ill-looking  villages.  Here 
the  trees  are  suffered  to  grow  taller,  and  the  grape  vines 
hang  between  them  in  large  festoons.  As  we  approached 
Ferrara,  its  old  broken  brick  walls,  in  part  covered  with  ivy, 
gave  an  indication  of  tife  desolated  condition  of  the  city 
they  once  protected.  1/  e  idle  inhabitants  stared  as  much 
at  us,  as  we  at  their  old  cathedral  and  decayed  palaces.  A 
number  of  importunate  cicerone  followed  us,  but  as  the  ma- 
nuscript of  Tasso  had  no  charm  beyond  the  last  edition  of 
his  works,  and  the  prison  where  he  was  confined  could  furnish 
no  pleasure  to  our  imaginations,  we  refused  their  proffered 
services,  and  returned  to  our  inn  of  the  Three  Moors;  con- 
tenting ourselves  with  a  plain  repast,  and  the  consoling  re- 
flection that  various  crowned  heads  had  likewise  dined  here: 
facts  which  are  well  attested  by  painted  coats  of  arms,  in- 
scribed with  royal  names  and  the  dates  of  their  visits,  and 
put  up  within  the  front  door  in  sight  of  every  passenger. 
After  seeing  these,  it  would  be  needless  to  complain  of  the 
fare. 

From  Ferrara,  as  we  advanced  to  Francolino,  the  fields 
became  more  marshy  and  difficult  of  cultivation;  and  the  few 
houses  which  appeared  on  the  dryest  spots  were  generally 
built  of  matted  reeds  and  rushes.  We  drove  rapidly  through 
the  old  town,  which  did  not  invite  a  better  survey,  and  were 
deposited  on  the  banks  of  the  Po,  a  wide  and  rapid  stream, 
the  only  thing  like  a  river  that  we  had  seen  since  we  left  the 
Arno  at  Pisa,  and  greatly  surpassing  that.  A  row-boat  took 
us  across  the  river,  and  committed  our  baggage  to  the  rigo- 
rous examination  of  the  Austrian  custom-house  officers,  which 
was  alternately  amusing  and  vexatious  by  the  minuteness  of 
their  scrutiny  and  detention  of  our  passports;  though  we  were 
yet  eighty  miles  from  Venice.  It  was  quite  dark  before  we 
started  in  the  mail-boat,  taking  with  us  a  few  cakes,  the  only 
food  we  could  procure  at  this  frontier  of  Austria,  containing  but 
two  or  three  houses.    We  contented  ourselves  as  well  as  we 


278 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


could,  by  lying  wrapped  up  in  our  cloaks  on  leather  cushions 
spread  among  our  baggage  and  other  goods  in  a  midway  store- 
room ;  because  an  ingenious  painter  had  begun  to  paint,  and 
still  continued  to  paint  the  births  of  the  little  cabin,  from 
which  the  powerful  smell  of  white  lead  reached  us  in  our 
store-room,  and  rain  prevented  our  remaining  on  deck.  But, 
as  it  was  a  little  boat,  and  six  oars  were  going  all  night  to  as- 
sist a  strong  current,  at  sun-rise  we  had  descended  forty  miles 
to  a  canal  which  communicated  with  the  Adige,  a  still  more 
rapid  river.  From  this  we  soon  passed,  by  a  short  canal, 
rising  by  means  of  a  lock  into  the  Brenta,  only  to  cross  it 
into  another  canal,  whose  irregular  course  passed  through 
low  grounds  and  dirty  villages,  till  it  reached  the  wide  spread 
and  shallow  waters  of  the  lagunes,  which  resemble  a  deluged 
plain  streaked  with  mud  banks  and  water  plants.  Into  this 
lagune  the  muddy  rivers  carry  a  deposite  of  tough  lead-co- 
loured clay,  which  being  scooped  out  of  the  channels  and  de- 
posited on  the  side  next  the  sea,  in  the  course  of  ages,  has 
formed  a  continuous  strip  of  land  or  embankment  from  the 
sea  which  heaps  it  up  on  the  other  side.  This  crooked  strip 
of  made  land  is  covered  with  a  surprisingly  long  succession  of 
brick  houses,  the  residence  of  fishermen,  extending  four  or 
five  miles,  including  a  bridge  of  forty  arches,  and  accommo- 
dated with  several  handsome  churches.  It  is  called  Pales- 
trina. 

At  night,  a  head  wind  compelled  us  to  stop  at  one  of  the 
fishermen's  stakes.  Unpleasant  as  this  was,  it  prevented  our 
reaching  Venice  that  night,  and  enabled  us  the  next  morn- 
ing to  see  the  queen  of  the  ocean,  at  the  extremity  of 
the  lagune,  stretching  across,  and  almost  united  with  this 
mole  of  fishermen's  dwellings.  The  steeples  and  domes  of 
Venice  were  relieved  by  an  extensive  range  of  gray  moun- 
tains, rising  high  in  the  distance,  upon  the  tops  of  which  the 
snow  was  bright  with  the  rising  sun.  For  many  miles  our 
boat  was  towed  by  a  boat  with  oarsmen,  who  often  got  out, 
with  naked  legs,  and  dragged  the  tow  lines,  sometimes  knee- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


279 


deep  in  water,  and  at  others  labouring  through  the  mud  and 
resuming  their  oars  in  the  boat  whenever  a  deep  channel 
crossed  their  way.  All  around  us,  except  in  channels  which 
were  indicated  by  ranges  of  piles  or  stakes,  fishermen  were 
seen  in  the  shallows  of  this  great  expanse  of  water,  wading 
for  crabs  and  shell  fish. 

At  length  we  reached  some  old  walls  and  ruinous  houses, 
the  outskirts  of  Venice,  and  passing  these,  opened  into  a  mag- 
nificent harbour,  resembling  a  great  river,  lined  with  good 
houses,  and  animated  by  a  variety  of  shipping  and  boats  in 
motion.  Crossing  this  great  harbour,  we  approached  a  point 
of  land  embellished  by  a  beautiful  edifice  at  the  Porto  Franco, 
and  then  opened  into  another  great  but  less  spacious  canal. 
In  front,  the  singular  but  beautiful  palace  of  the  doges,  and 
the  lesser  place  of  St.  Mark  were  close  by,  with  a  fine  ter- 
race or  wharf  extending  along  the  water's  edge.  As  our  boat 
pursued  its  way  to  the  post-office,  down  the  great  serpentine 
canal  or  river,  the  magnificence  of  the  palaces,  and  their  pe- 
culiar style  of  architecture,  rich  in  bold  ornaments,  balconies 
and  sculptures,  excited  us  to  frequent  exclamations  of  admi- 
ration. What  must  have  been  their  beauty  when  Venice 
was  in  her  full  glory,  and  these  marble  palaces  were  new  or 
in  bright  repair?  From  many  which  were  built  of  brick, 
the  plastering  was  falling  off,  and  others,  with  broken  win- 
dows, were  uninhabited :  yet,  as  an  evidence  of  renovation, 
since  Venice  has  been  made  a  free  port,  we  passed  a  large 
new  edifice,  rising  from  an  old  foundation,  and  others  under- 
going repair. 

The  Gondola,  about  which  so  much  is  said  and  sung,  is  a 
ferry-boat,  very  much  resembling  an  Indian  canoe,  floating 
lightly  on  the  water,  and  rising  pointed  at  each  end,  the  front 
being  ornamented  with  a  large  sharp-edged  piece  of  iron, 
something  Ijke  a  battle-axe.  In  the  centre  are  cushioned 
seats,  with  an  arched  covering  of  black  cloth,  where  two 
grown  persons  and  two  children  may  conveniently  sit,  or,  on 
an  emergency,  six  grown  persons  may  squeeze  together,  either 


280 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


with  open  door  and  side  windows,  or  closed  with  glass  or 
black  Venitian  blinds.  The  boatmen,  without  a  rudder,  and 
only  one  oar  at  his  right  side,  stands  on  the  little  deck  of  his 
narrow  stern,  and  bearing  his  weight  on  his  oar,  which  sel- 
dom rises  out  of  the  water,  not  only  urges  the  gondola  straight 
onwards,  but  by  dexterous  movements,  which  are  practised 
from  infancy,  turns  it  in  all  directions  with  surprising  facility 
and  accuracy. 

Having  reached  the  post-office,  and  assorted  our  baggage, 
we  entered  one  of  these  gondolas  and  returned  to  the  Hotel 
de  l'Europe,  which  we  had  passed  on  entering  the  port.  I 
found  that  the  use  of  one  oar  produced  an  unpleasant  rock- 
ing of  the  boat,  to  which  those  are  not  subject  who  employ 
an  additional  boatman  at  the  front  of  the  canoe,  whose  oar* 
striking  simultaneously  with  the  other,  at  opposite  sides,  cor- 
rects the  evil,  and  it  affords  the  advantage  of  greater  speed 
when  long  excursions  are  to  be  made.  We  landed  on  marble 
steps  rising  a  few  feet  out  of  the  water  to  a  vast  hall,  in  which 
the  light  gondola,  when  only  for  private  use,  may  be  deposited ; 
first  divested  of  its  covered  chamber,  which  two  men  lift  off 
the  seats  and  carry  up. 

It  had  begun  to  rain  before  we  entered  Venice,  and  a  mist 
obscured  the  magnificent  mountains  which  we  had  seen  at 
sun-rise  stretching  beyond  and  extending  far  over  the  low 
lands  of  the  adjoining  continent.  As  it  cleared  up,  however, 
the  view  from  our  elevated  balcony,  of  splendid  edifices 
stretching  in  various  directions  into  the  broad  expanse  of  wa- 
ters was  as  delightful  as  it  was  novel. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY, 


281 


Venice,  May  14th. 

I  was  impatient  to  visit  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  to 
which  a  rocking  gondola  soon  conducted  me  on  the  main  ri- 
ver, for  it  conveys  an  imperfect  idea  of  this  wide  channel, 
which  in  a  serpentine  form  divides  the  city,  to  call  it  a  ca- 
nal. A  little  back  from  the  water's  edge,  a  great  mass  of 
an  old  and  altered  monastery  presented  a  small,  new  and 
handsome  front  as  an  entrance  to  the  Accidentia  delle  belle 
Arte,  denoted  in  large  letters  across  the  front,  whilst  on 
the  top  of  the  building,  in  colossal  proportions,  and  newly 
sculptured  in  white  marble,  the  genius  of  the  arts  sits  grace- 
fully at  the  side  of  the  Venitian  lion. 

Inscriptions  over  various  doors,  around  the  court  and  in 
the;  corridor,  indicate  the  entrance  to  the  schools  of  draw- 
ing, anatomy,  perspective,  sculpture,  &c.  above  which  we 
found  the  halls  for  the  preservation  of  the  most  esteemed 
pictures  belonging  to  the  government,  most  of  which  are 
altar-pieces.  Two  of  these  halls  are  of  great. size,  and  fur- 
nished with  skylights;  and  two  others  are  to  be  added,  for 
the  display  of  six  hundred  pictures  now  hidden  in  a  store- 
house. 

The  first  large  room,  badly  lighted  by  side  windows,  be- 
sides several  other  pictures  of  inferior  merit,  contains  the 
Miracle  of  St.  Mark,  by  Tintoretto,  the  Assumption  of 
the  Virgin,  by  Titian,  the  Marriage  at  Cana,  by  Padua- 
nino,  and  the  Fisherman,  presenting  the  ring  to  the  doge, 
by  Paris  Bordonone.  The  Assumption  of  the  Virgin,  which 
was  only  of  late  rescued  from  total  destruction  behind  the 
candles  of  an  altar,  is  much  injured,  and  badly  restored,  in 
parts,  by  black  masses  of  colour,  abhorrent  to  the  palette  of 
Titian;  but  the  best  preserved  portions,  especially  the  an- 

36 


202 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


gel  children  who  encircle  the  Virgin  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  picture,  have  a  tone  and  powerful  depth  of  colour,  espe- 
cially in  the  shadows,  which  belong  alone  to  Titian,  and 
above  all  in  this  picture.  There  is  nothing  athletic  in  them, 
but  they  are  animated,  vigorous,  sun-burnt  mortals,  miracu- 
lously sporting  among  the  clouds;  and  owing  more  to  Ti- 
tian's pencil,  than  the  peasant  girl,  representing  the  Virgin, 
who  stands  in  the  midst  of  them,  astonished  at  the  prospect 
that  opens  before  her.  The  lower  part  of  the  picture  is 
filled  with  rather  a  wild  mass  of  apostolic  men,  among  whose 
black  heads  and  sooty  draperies,  some  finely  finished  parts 
and  some  folds  of  rich  colour  may  be  selected. 

At  the  opposite  end  of  the  room,  the  miracle  of  St.  Mark, 
which,  if  seen  first,  astonishes  by  its  force  of  colour,  truth 
of  drawing,  and  vigour  of  expression,  loses  something  of  its 
wonted  effect,  when  compared  by  alternate  glances,  with  the 
unrivalled  force  of  the  Assumption. 

A  room  beyond  this  contains  some  interesting  bronzes, 
some  fine  studies  of  cherub  heads,  by  Titian,  and  a  vase  con- 
taining the  right  hand  of  Canova.  His  left  hand  is  preserved 
at  Rome,  his  heart  embalmed  in  the  church  of  the  Fratri, 
and  his  body  at  his  native  village  of  Pasagno.  Thus  proud 
is  Italy  of  the  celebrated  sculptor  whom  she  claims  as  her 
son. 

Passing  through  long  corridors,  lined  with  prize  drawings 
of  the  academic  pupils,  and  a  great  collection  of  architectu- 
ral designs,  by  Queringhi,  a  Venitian  artist  who  died  in  Rus- 
sia, we  entered  the  two  great  new  halls,  in  which,  I  think, 
the  most  interesting  picture  is  the  Presentation  of  the  Vir- 
gin, painted  by  Titian,  at  the  age  of  eighty.  It  is  some- 
what less  forcible,  but  apparently  not  injured,  and  much 
more  harmonious  than  the  Assumption.  The  rooms  contain 
other  excellent  pictures  by  Paul  and  Charles  Veronese,  Pa- 
duanino,  Bonifacio,  &c. 

A  small  room  preserves  a  number  of  framed  original  draw- 
ings, by  the  old  masters;  and  commodious  sky-lighted  halls 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


283 


contain  plaster  casts  of  the  finest  antique  statues  for  the  use 
of  students. 

Returning  from  the  academy,  instead  of  re-entering  the 
gondola  (by  which  practice  travellers  go  away  with  the  idea 
that  Venice  is  all  canal,)  I  traversed  a  great  number  of  little 
streets,  remarkably  clean,  and  crossed  many  neat  little  bridges, 
built  of  marble,  just  high  enough  for  a  gondola  to  pass  under; 
and  remarked  that  the  canals  which  penetrated  all  parts, 
were  perfectly  sweet  and  clean,  having  scarcely  any  thing, 
and  nothing  at  all  offensive,  floating  on  their  surfaces.  When 
I  arrived  again  at  the  edge  of  the  great  canal,  opposite  my 
lodgings,  a  gondola  took  me  across. 

Numerous  as  the  canals  are,  and  they  amount  to  one  hun- 
dren  and  forty-seven,  besides  the  two  great  ones,  the  number 
of  solid,  convenient,  flag-paved  streets,  that  penetrate  the 
compact  assemblage  of  houses,  amount  to  two  thousand  one 
hundred  and  eight,  and  afford  the  utmost  facility  for  walking 
to  every  part  of  the  city.  These  cross  the  canals  by  bridges 
which  connect  the  streets;  with  these  exceptions,  that  the 
great  serpentine  channel  which  divides  the  city  into  two  near- 
ly equal  portions,  can  only  be  passed  at  one  spot,  on  the  Ri- 
alto,  a  bridge  of  about  one  hundred  feet  span;  and  that  the 
great  harbour,  where  ships  of  war,  and  merchant  vessels  lie, 
can  only  be  crossed  in  boats,  to  a  smaller  section  of  the  city, 
and  to  various  islands. 

The  chief  objects  of  interest  are  situated  on  the  borders 
of  the  broadest  waters,  where  they  give  magnificence  to  the 
city,  and  enjoy  the  advantages  of  air  and  light;  and  these  be- 
ing most  conveniently  visited  by  water,  the  stranger  who 
wishes  to  hurry  away  soon,  more  readily  accomplishes  his 
purpose  by  hiring  a  gondola  by  the  day,  and  remains  with 
the  impression  that  all  the  houses  rise  out  of  the  canals. 
Originally  built  on  seventy-six  mud  banks,  or  islands  of  va- 
rious extent,  the  houses  gradually  encroached  on  the  water 
till  it  was  reduced  to  the  mere  convenience  of  a  canal  for 
the  removal  of  heavy  articles,  for  no  horses  nor  carriages  of 


284 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


any  kind  are  used  in  Venice.  These  mud-banks,  which  form 
in  the  lagunes,  and  appear  at  low  water,  between  the  navi- 
gable channels  through  which  the  waters  circulate,  are  of 
tough  clay,  into  which  piles  are  driven,  and  these  being  cut 
off  below  low  water  mark  are  sufficient  to  bear  the  most 
solid  structures  of  stone.  Yet  it  may  be  perceived  that 
many  of  the  old  buildings  are  out  of  the  perpendicular,  as 
well  as  the  great  tower  in  the  public  place.  It  is,  however, 
surprising  with  what  solidity  the  great  palaces  have  been 
built,  which  have  stood  uninjured  for  centuries. 

The  stranger  is  generally  prompted  to  pay  his  first  visit  to 
the  Place  of  St.  Mark,  and  the  more  so,  as  the  hotels  most 
frequented  are  in  the  vicinity,  whence  he  can  conveniently 
visit  it  and  the  adjoining  objects  of  interest  on  foot.  It  is  a 
large  enclosure,  resembling  the  Palais  Royal  of  Paris,  but 
paved  with  smooth  flags  in  the  centre,  surrounded  at  three 
sides  with  buildings  of  uniform  and  noble  architecture.  The 
arcades,  paved  with  marble,  are  lined  with  shops  and  coffee- 
houses, only  inferior  to  those  of  Paris.  The  fourth  side  of 
the  place  is  ornamented  by  the  cathedral,  which  fronts  it, 
leaving  broad  communications  to  other  places,  buildings, 
courts,  quays  and  streets.  The  Cathedral,  a  low  building,  is 
a  beautiful  and  singular  assemblage  of  Arabic  and  Gothic 
architecture,  enriched  with  a  multitude  of  small  columns, 
Saxon  arches,  pointed  turrets,  and  Turkish  domes,  entirely 
built  of  coloured  marbles,  and  mosaic  pictures,  which  fill  up 
the  front  arches.  Above  the  door  stand  the  four  bronze 
horses,  still  retaining  a  great  portion  of  their  original  Greek 
gilding,  which  were  brought  from  Constantinople,  when  it 
was  conquered  by  the  Venitians,  in  1204;  they  were  taken 
to  Paris  by  Napoleon,  and,  after  nineteen  years  absence,  re- 
stored to  their  consecrated  stations  in  1816.  The  interior 
of  this  church  has  a  gloomy  and  antiquated  aspect,  though  it 
is  entirely  lined  with  rich  marbles,  or  coated  with  mosaic 
gildings,  and  pictures;  some  of  these  are  from  the  composi- 
tions of  celebrated  painters,  and  not  badly  executed,  but  in- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY". 


285 


jured  in  their  effects  by  barbarous  golden  grounds.  It  is 
tilled  with  curious  bronzes,  and  marble  statues,  columns,  &c. 

A  richly  sculptured  archway,  at  the  side  of  the  church, 
connects  it  with  the  Ducal  Palace,  which  fronts  the  Piazetta 
or  little  place  of  St.  Mark  at  one  angle,  and  the  open  har- 
bour on  the  other;  presenting  a  singular  and  rich  effect  of 
low  columns  supporting  Gothic  arches  and  galleries,  and 
walls  richly  decorated  with  Gothic  windows,  openings  and 
sculptures.  The  court  within  this  immense  palace  of  the 
doges  we  found  crowded  with  merchants,  among  whom  were 
some  fine  looking  groups  of  Armenians.  Two  wells,  like 
circular  altars,  of  sculptured  bronze,  in  the  centre  of  the 
court,  are  frequented  by  sturdy  women  who  carry  its  water 
about  for  sale  in  copper  buckets,  but  the  best  water  is 
brought  in  tanks  from  the  main  land. 

A  flight  of  marble  steps,  called  the  Giant's  Stairs,  from 
the  two  presiding  statues  of  Mars  and  Neptune,  conducts 
to  a  landing  place,  where  the  doges  were  crowned  in  pre- 
sence of  the  people,  and  to  the  magnificent  golden  stair  case, 
which  rises  to  the  great  council,  senate,  and  audience  cham- 
bers, and  other  rooms  and  vestibules  to  a  prodigious  extent, 
and  in  a  surpassing  style  of  grandeur.  The  ceilings  are  en- 
riched with  bold  carvings  and  stuccoes  gilded,  which  serve 
as  frames  in  numerous  compartments,  to  precious  paintings, 
the  best  and  noblest  works  of  Paul  Veronese,  and  Tintoret- 
to, infinitely  superior  to  any  thing  by  those  artists  which  are 
elsewhere  to  be  seen.'  They  possess,  indeed,  a  majesty  of 
composition,  a  boldness  of  contour,  and  richness  of  colour- 
ing, that  astonished  as  much  as  they  delighted  me.  Besides 
these  glorious  works  of  Veronese,  Tintoretto,  and  Titian, 
the  walls  are  covered  with  great  pictures  representing  the 
battles  and  other  interesting  events  in  the  history  of  Venice,* 
painted  by  Vigentino,  Zucchero,  Palma,  and  other  inferior 
artists.  These  pictures  are  valued,  not  for  their  beauty,  but 
as  recording  the  portraits  of  distinguished  personages,  modes 


286 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


of  warfare,  costume,  and  other  peculiarities  among  the  an- 
cient Venetians  and  Turks. 

Several  of  these  great  halls  are  now  used  as  the  depository 
of  a  valuable  library  of  eighty  thousand  volumes,  and  many 
marble  statues,  busts,  and  pieces  of  ancient  sculpture,  for 
which  there  is  not  room  in  the  Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts. 
In  the  senate  chamber,  and  the  hall  of  audience,  the  cushions 
remain  on  the  seats  where  the  doges,  senators,  and  ambassa- 
dors sat,  preserved  only  to  be  stared  at. 

From  these  scenes  of  proud  pretended  republican  magni- 
ficence, we  returned  to  the  court  yard,  and  descended  into 
the  dungeons  which  served  as  the  foundation  of  this  splendid 
palace,  and  which  were  thrown  open  by  order  of  Napoleon. 
We  stooped  through  the  low  openings,  now  divested  of  their 
double  doors  of  iron,  and  entered  several  of  these  dark  little 
cells,  on  the  walls  of  which  still  remain  the  writings  scratched 
by  various  prisoners.  We  were  shown  the  chamber  where 
victims  were  strangled,  and  the  passage,  now  walled  up, 
through  which  their  bodies  were  conveyed  in  the  night  to  a 
boat  which  bore  them  away  on  a  silent  and  trackless  path. 
The  upper  chambers,  lined  with  thick  planks,  appeared  to 
be  very  dry;  but  the  lower  ones  were  damp,  and  others  still 
lower,  but  now  closed  up,  were  said  to  be  quite  wet.  We 
returned  to  the  day  light,  quite  satisfied  that  no  secret  infor- 
mation, nor  mysterious  council  of  ten  could  now  detain  a 
fellow  mortal  in  such  wretched  abodes. 

The  fine  oblong  Place  of  St.  Mark  is  deformed  at  one 
corner  by  a  tall,  square  tower,  buift  of  brick,  but  orna- 
mented at  its  base  and  near  its  top  by  works  of  marble,  es- 
pecially the  elaborate  sculptures  on  the  lodge  which  embel- 
lishes one  side  of  its  base.  The  ascent  within  the  tower 
is  a  gentle  slope,  with  but  few  steps  in  the  angles,  to  a  bel- 
fry, a  spacious  open  kind  of  piazza,  built  of  massive  mar- 
ble columns,  pilasters  and  balustrades,  very  little  more  than 
half  way  to  the  pinnacle,  which  was  added  to  this  tower  to 
increase  its  useless  height,  whilst  it  deforms  its  character. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


287 


They  boast  of  it  being  three  hundred  feet  high,  but  the  vi- 
siter can  only  reach  about  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  to 
the  belfry,  whence  he  may  look  down  upon  the  spacious 
piazza,  the  roofs  of  the  royal  palace  and  its  six  interior 
courts,  the  four  domes  of  the  cathedral,  the  immense  quad- 
rangle of  the  Palace  of  the  Doges  and  the  Piazzetta  which 
connects  the  great  place  of  St.  Mark  with  the  beautiful 
quays,  at  whose  edges  the  water  scarcely  ever  rises  or  falls 
more  than  a  foot. 

From  this  elevation  the  city  of  Venice  appears  little  else 
than  one  compact  mass  of  brown  tiles,  among  which  not  a 
single  street  nor  canal  can  be  distinguished,  except  a  small 
portion  of  the  opening  into  the  great  canal  or  rather  chan- 
nel, immediately  below  the  eye,  and  in  connexion  with  the 
broad  harbour  extending  to  a  long  strip  of  buildings,  which, 
with  the  island  of  St.  George,  nearly  encircle  it.  Around 
this  dense  mass  of  Venitian  tiles,  fantastic  chimneys,  little 
wooden  terraces  with  a  few  green  flower-pots,  Gothic  spires 
and  Turkish  bell-shaped  domes,  were  spread  out  the  tran- 
quil waters  of  the  lagune,  chequered  with  numerous  spots, 
called  Islands,  covered  with  houses,  and  forming  in  their 
irregular  lines  almost  an  uninterrupted  communication  with 
the  distant  land.  Beyond  the  level  shores  appeared  the 
hills  near  Padua  and  the  magnificent  mountains  of  the  Ty- 
rol, among  which  the  sun  was  gloriously  setting,  so  that  at 
one  moment  they  presented  the  resemblance  of  a  sublime 
volcanic  irruption. 

Although  nearly  every  thing  in  Venice  may  be  visited 
on  foot,  yet  to  save  trouble  and  the  time  that  would  be  lost 
by  inquiry  and  search,  we  commenced  our  visitation  of  the 
churches  and  palaces  with  the  luxurious  movement  of  a  gon- 
dola. In  this  excursion  it  was  very  evident  that,  with  few 
exceptions,  such  as  the  grand  canal  and  a  few  others  which 
pass  in  front  of  good  houses  and  are  sometimes  skirted 
with  a  foot  pavement,  they  must  be  considered  only  as  pri- 
vate alleys  or  back  passages,  in  which  the  rough  ill-looking 


288 


NOTES  ON  ITALY* 


houses  rise  immediately  out  of  the  water,  with  doors  and 
passages  to  communicate  with  boats  for  domestic  or  manu- 
facturing purposes. 

In  making  the  prescribed  round  of  churches,  according 
to  the  best  guide-book,  composed  by  "  Antonio  Quadri,  Se- 
cretary of  the  Imperial  and  Royal  Government  and  Member 
of  the  Venitian  Athenaeum,"  we  entered  many  churches, 
and  walked  the  rounds  of  their  altars,  but  found  little  to 
admire  in  their  dingy  pictures,  Gothic  sculptures,  dismal 
tombs,  wax  madonnas  and  painted  statues  with  golden 
crowns. 

In  the  Church  of  St.  Peter,  though  I  could  not  admire 
its  black  Tintoretto,  it  was  not  amiss  to  look  at  St.  Peter's 
marble  chair,  of  Arabic  workmanship,  and  to  admire  a 
very  beautiful  marble  figure  of  Christ  attached  by  copper 
nails  to  a  strong  wooden  cross.  The  only  objects  in  the 
Church  of  St.  George  the  Greater  worth  visiting  are  the 
stalls  or  seats  of  the  canons  round  the  semicircular  choir  be- 
hind the  great  altar,  which  were  carved  in  oak  by  Flemish 
artists  in  a  style  of  great  richness  and  elegance.  The  Greek 
Church  of  St.  George  may  be  very  solid,  but  we  did  not 
think  it  elegant,  nor  did  we  admire  its  interior  ornaments; 
but  we  were  much  interested  in  witnessing  some  peculiarities 
in  the  priesthood.  Mass  was  performing  at  an  altar  hidden 
behind  a  screen,  whilst  a  bearded  priest,  with  long  hair 
flowing  over  his  shoulders  and  down  his  back,  offered  in- 
cense first  to  the  altar,  then  to  the  priests  and  members  of 
the  congregation,  and,  finally,  with  much  politeness  saluted 
us,  strangers  as  we  were,  with  his  smoking  censor  and  an 
inclination  of  his  head:  it  would  have  been  unpolite  not  to 
bow  in  return. 

The  church  which  concluded  this  Sunday's  excursion,  ex- 
ternally one  of  the  brightest  ornaments  of  Venice,  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  great  canal,  is  that  of  St.  Maria  delta  Salute. 
It  is  a-singular  composition  of  orders  and  fancies,  and  loaded 
externally  with  ornamental  scrolls  and  statues.    Within,  it  is 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


289 


of  plain  plastered  walls,  but  its  lofty  arches  and  dome  pos- 
sess a  character  of  simplicity  and  grandeur.  The  altar,  of 
white  marble,  is  a  composition  of  various  figures  and  a  group 
on  the  summit,  representing  Venice  interceding  with  the  Ma- 
donna, whilst  a  beautiful  angel  boy,  with  a  flambeau  is  driving 
away  a  hideous  pestilence.  At  one  side  of  the  altar  stands 
so  large  and  rare  a  candelabrum  of  bronze  that  they  have 
been  unable  to  find  a  companion  for  it.  It  is  composed  of  the 
richest  sculpture,  and  terminates  with  a  beautiful  Group  of 
the  Three  Graces  supporting  the  socket  for  the  light.  The 
good  priest  who  showed  me  these  things  seemed  to  be  as 
much  delighted  with  the  Graces  as  I  was.  Behind  the  altar, 
the  stalls  for  the  canons,  though  less  extensive  and  elaborate 
than  those  of  St.  George  the  Greater,  are  very  beautiful,  an- 
gels and  children  composing  the  arms  of  the  seats.  The  sa- 
cristy possesses  a  ceiling  painted  by  Titian,  representing  the 
Death  of  Jibel,  which  shows  astonishing  vigour  of  compo- 
sition and  colouring;  particularly  as  the  figures  are  not  hid- 
den with  his  usual  masses  of  drapery.  In  a  large  picture  by 
Tintoretto,  finely  coloured,  he  has  introduced  a  beautiful  per- 
spective row  of  Venitian  ladies,  who  are  honouring  with 
their  presence  The  Marriage  Supper  at  Carta  in  Galilee. 
A  fine  picture  in  the  body  of  the  church  is  by  Titian,  repre- 
senting the  Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  But  the  especial 
boast  of  this  church  is  in  possessing  three  large  altar-pieces 
by  Luca  Giordano,  the  Presentation,  the  Assumption,  and 
the  Birth  of  the  Virgin  Mary.  In  these  magnificent  pic- 
tures, Luca  succeeded  in  restraining  the  ordinary  fury  of  his 
brush,  and  produced  pictures  that  will  bear  a  comparison 
with  the  best  of  his  cotemporaries. 

In  the  leisure  and  excitement  of  a  Sunday  afternoon  the 
place  and  arcades  of  St.  Mark  became  lively  with  the  fashion 
and  curiosity  of  Venice;  among  which  the  gay  modes  of  Pa- 
ris were  less  to  be  admired  than  the  fine  features  and  rich 
complexions  of  the  descendants  of  those  men  and  women 

37 


290 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


who  served  as  models  to  the  glowing  pencils  of  Titian,  Ve- 
ronese and  Tintoretto.  In  the  evening  the  crowd  still  thick- 
ened, enjoying  the  soft  mildness  of  a  sea  atmosphere,  and 
basking  in  the  blaze  of  patent  lamp-light  which  attracted  them 
around  the  coffee-houses;  whilst  a  fine  band  of  military  mu- 
sic, stationed  in  the  centre  of  the  place,  with  music  books 
and  lamps,  greatly  increased  the  popular  enjoyment,  at  the 
expense  of  the  government. 

Pursuing  the  regular  survey  of  Venice,  and  commencing 
with  the  grand  canal  from  the  Piazza  of  St.  Mark,  and  the 
royal  palace  with  its  little  garden  on  one  side  of  the  water, 
and  the  ornamental  temple,  transit  custom-house,  and  the 
magnificent  Church  of  Santa  Maria  della  Saluta  on  the 
other,  we  passed  in  review  on  both  sides  of  the  river-like  ca- 
nal, in  a  length  of  two  miles,  a  great  number  of  elegant  pa- 
laces, intermingled  with  some  ordinary  buildings,  all  in  a  de- 
gree blackened  and  injured  by  age  and  neglect.  Some  of  the 
palaces  of  the  ancient  noble  families  are  in  a  grand  style  of 
architecture,  enriched  with  a  profusion  of  bold  sculpture,  ac- 
cording to  the  taste  of  the  times  and  the  peculiar  propensity 
of  the  Venitians  to  this  exuberance  of  decoration. 

One  of  the  palaces  of  the  Giustiniani  family  belongs  to  the 
artist  Schiavoni,  who,  with  his  sons,  all  painters,  occupy  and 
ornament  it  with  a  number  of  their  own  paintings  and  a  col- 
lection of  the  works  of  ancient  masters  which  are  for  sale. 

At  the  Palazzo  Pisani  visiters  are  shown  into  a  hall  ce- 
lebrated for  possessing  a  noble  picture  by  Paul  Veronese,  re- 
presenting the  Family  of  Darius  before  Alexander,  by 
which  it  would  seem  that  they  were  all  Venitians  in  costume 
and  complexion,  in  the  midst  of  Venitian  architecture;  yet 
this  picture  is  beautifully  composed,  and  of  surprising  rich- 
ness of  colour  and  depth  of  shadow,  without  blackness.  Op- 
posite to  it  is  a  picture  of  the  same  size,  as  a  companion  to 
which  it  must  have  been  painted,  representing  the  Death  of 
Darius  and  his  White  Horse,  painted  by  Piacetta  in  a  sin- 
gular but  forcible  style  of  light,  and  shade. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


291 


The  Barbarigo  Palace,  in  which  it  is  said  that  Titian 
died,  is  reputed  to  be  rich  in  pictures  by  him.  It  is  true  there 
are  many  that  bear  his  name,  extremely  dirty  and  in  bad  con- 
dition, that  were  possibly  done  by  him  in  sickness  or  sorrow, 
infancy  or  imbecility;  but  I  was  glad  to  escape  from  such  a 
profanation  of  his  name,  notwithstanding  the  guide-books. 

Branching  off  into  a  smaller  canal,  and  passing  a  beauti- 
ful balustraded  bridge,  we  stopped  at  the  Manfrini  Palace, 
where  an  extensive  collection  of  pictures  and  curious  works 
of  art  are  open  to  visiters  twice  a  week.  We  found  the  rooms 
occupied  by  several  companies,  chiefly  English  and  French. 
The  picture  most  esteemed  here,  by  Titian,  the  Dead  Body 
of  Christ  borne  away,  did  not  much  please  me,  as  being 
too  rigid  in  the  drawing  and  unharmonious  in  the  colour- 
ing. The  various  rooms  are  filled  with  curious  pictures  by 
ancient  painters  who  led  the  way  to  greater  excellence  and 
more  pleasing  productions.  Here  are  some  good  Flemish 
paintings;  a  fine  Portrait  by  Rembrandt;  a  beautiful  St. 
Cecilia  by  Carlo  Dolce;  and  the  richest  specimen  of  the 
glowing  pencil  of  Giorgione  I  have  yet  seen.  It  represents 
himself,  his  son,  and  the  head  and  neck  of  a  female,  said 
to  be  his  wife,  but  which  is  instantly  recognised  as  the 
Flora  of  Titian,  presenting  an  enigma  not  easy  to  unra- 
vel, for  the  wife  of  Giorgione  was  not  the  mistress  of  the 
Medici,  nor  could  Giorgione  have  copied  his  wife  from  the 
Flora  of  Titian.  The  probability  is,  that  Titian,  the  pu- 
pil of  Giorgione,  justly  admiring  this  Head  of  Giorgione's 
Wife,  adopted  it  not  only  for  his  Flora,  but  the  figure  im- 
properly called  the  Mistress  of  Francis  L  in  the  National 
Gallery  at  Paris. 

The  marble  steps,  landing  place  and  fair  front  invite  you 
to  enter  the  church  of  the  barefooted  Carmelites,  which 
surprises  you  by  the  richness  and  grandeur  of  its  interior. 
The  chief  altar  and  six  side  chapels  were  built  by  seven  no- 
ble Venitian  families,  who  enriched  them  with  the  most 
costly  marbles,  elegant  sculptures  and  fresco  paintings,  pro- 


292 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


ducing  a  combination  of  surprising  richness — the  loan  of 
ostentatious  wealth  to  swell  the  pride  of  beggars. 

It  was  necessary  to  obtain  a  written  permission  from  the 
police  to  visit  the  Arsenal  at  one  of  the  extremities  of  Ve- 
nice. The  entrance  is  by  a  marble  gateway,  embellished 
with  several  statues  in  marble,  and  guarded  by  two  enor- 
mous and  various  other  lions.  A  colonel  commandant  having 
countersigned  our  order,  we  were  escorted  by  a  stupid  old 
man  over  the  extensive  but  little  occupied  premises.  Only 
one  small  tender  floated  in  its  basin,  and  a  brig  of  twenty 
guns  and  a  schooner  were  on  the  stocks.  Enough  work 
was  going  on  in  the  various  departments  to  keep  up  a  know- 
ledge of  the  different  operations,  and  even  two  brass  can- 
non had  been  cast  only  the  week  before.  The  accommo- 
dations for  preparing  timber  and  building,  making  cordage, 
anchors  and  other  iron  works,  turning,  &c.  were  in  spa- 
cious buildings.  The  Giardino  delle  balle,  or  the  Garden 
of  Bullets,  is  an  enclosure  with  gravel  walks  and  various 
shaped  beds,  with  fancy  piles  of  iron  balls.  But.  the  most 
interesting  parts  of  the  establishment  were,  the  hall  con- 
taining, among  other  models,  that  of  the  Bucentaur,  the 
magnificent  galley  of  the  doge,  and  two  halls  curiously  de- 
corated with  ancient  and  modern  armour,  including  many 
articles  taken  from  the  Turks,  the  armour  worn  by  Henry 
IV.  of  France,  and  other  complete  suits,  among  which  was 
one  for  a  little  boy,  found  under  the  ramparts  at  Pavia. 
Here,  too,  are  the  bows  and  arrows,  battle-axes,  maces  and 
great  double-handed  swords,  used  by  various  nations  living 
on  the  Mediterranean  before  the  invention  of  gunpowder; 
and  many  curious  and  elegantly  ornamented  guns,  pistols 
and  cannons,  such  as  were  used  after  its  invention,  together 
with  a  leathern  mortar.  All  the  hard  work  at  the  arsenal 
is  performed  by  prisoners,  coupled  in  heavy  chains,  whose 
horrible  clank  can  never  harmonize  with  reformation. 

On  leaving  the  arsenal  we  landed  at  the  public  garden, 
delightfully  planted  with  trees  and  shrubbery,  and  laid  out  in 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


293 


walks,  commanding  fine  views  of  the  town,  sea,  and  islands. 
Then  re-embarking  and  crossing  a  considerable  expanse  of 
water,  beyond  an  island  where  a  poor-house  is  established, 
we  reached  the  Island  of  St.  Lazarus,  where  there  is  a 
convent  of  learned  Armenian  monks.  We  were  conducted 
into  the  church  where  they  were  assembled  at  mass,  the  vo- 
cal music  of  which  resembled  the  chanting  of  the  Jews  at 
Leghorn.  Some  of  the  old  men  had  venerable  beards.  Af- 
ter service,  a  young  monk,  of  polite  manners,  who  spoke 
English,  conducted  us  over  the  establishment  into  the  library, 
which  possesses  ten  thousand  books;  showed  us  various  an- 
cient manuscripts,  particularly  in  the  neat  Armenian  charac- 
ters; their  printing  office,  the  work  of  which  is  done  by  Ita- 
lians, who  have  learned  the  Armenian  alphabet;  and  the 
school  rooms,  where  a  few  youths  are  educated,  making,  to- 
gether with  the  monks,  a  total  number  of  sixty  persons.  We 
were  shown  various  elegant  editions  of  books,  in  different 
European  and  Eastern  languages,  which  they  particularly 
study  for  the  purpose  of  translating  and  publishing  such 
works  as  have  a  tendency  to  improve  the  condition  of  their 
nation,  depressed  under  the  Turkish  government.  It  took 
our  gondolier  an  hour  to  return  to.  the  place  of  St.  Mark. 

The  Church  of  St.  John  and  St.  Paul,  whose  piazza  is 
ornamented  with  an  Equestrian  statue  of  Colleoni,  a  cele- 
brated Venitian  general,  and  one  of  the  first  who  made  use 
of  cannon,  is  remarkable  for  the  number  of  curious,  old, 
and  magnificent  monuments  it  contains  to  the  memory  of 
distinguished  men;  Morosino,  who  took  Constantinople,  and 
refused  the  crown  of  the  eastern  empire;  Valiari,  &c.  This 
church  possesses  the  celebrated  picture  by  Titian,  called  Pe- 
ter the  Martyr,  which  was  taken  to  Paris,  and  restored  to 
the  church  after  Napoleon's  abdication.  This  picture,  in 
the  dark  recess  of  a  side  chapel,  appears  to  less  advantage 
than  it  did  in  the  gallery  of  Paris.  The  lower  part  of  the 
picture  never  much  pleased  me,  but  the  upper  portion, 
though  rather  dark,  possesses  great  grandeur  and  beauty. 


294 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


The  Church  of  the  Jesuits,  whose  walls,  columns,  pave- 
ment, and  draperied  pulpit,  are  curiously  fashioned  of  white 
marble,  inlaid  with  verd  antique,  likewise  possesses  a  cele- 
brated picture  by  Titian,  the  Martyrdom  of  St.  Lorenzo, 
whose  athletic  forms  and  rich  colouring  appear  dark  and  dir- 
ty in  contrast  with  the  white  candles  which  malevolently 
stand  in  front  of  it.  The  Tabernacle  of  the  great  altar  is 
composed  of  white  marble,  and  much  lapis  lazuli,  under  a 
canopy  supported  by  eight  elegant  twisted  columns.  Under 
the  steps  of  this  altar  lies  the  body  of  Mansini,  the  last  doge 
of  Venice.  A  rich  chapel,  and  part  of  the  church  are 
wainscotted  with  carved  walnut,  of  a  bold  and  striking  cha- 
racter. 

Palladio  is  the  boast  of  Venice,  and  his  skill  in  architec- 
ture no  doubt  contributed  largely  to  its  embellishment ;  for 
it  required  some  knowledge  of  building  to  convert  the  mud 
banks  of  the  lagunes  into  noble  palaces  and  churches;  yet 
the  Church  of  the  Redeemer,  which  is  called  his  master- 
piece, in  no  respect  pleased  me,  except  for  solidity.  It  con- 
tains, however,  one  good  painting  by  Tintoretto. 

The  Church  of  St.  Sebastian,  besides  a  good  picture 
by  Titian,  and  a  beautiful  one  by  Palma,  is  filled  with  the 
works  of  Tintoretto,  dark,  dirty,  and  uninteresting;  except 
one  in  the  centre  of  the  sacristy  ceiling;  yet  here  he  chose 
to  be  buried,  and  above  his  tomb-stone  is  a  fine  bust  of 
him. 

The  magnificent  halls  and  Church  of  the  Confraternity 
of  St.  Roch,  are  profusely  covered  with  the  labours  of  Paul 
Veronese,  which  occupied  him  eighteen  years.  It  appears 
to  have  been  the  school  in  which  he  was  practising  to  fit 
himself  for  better  works.  They  are  boldly,  but  less  carefully 
executed  than  his  fine  performances  in  the  palace  of  the 
doges.  Here  is  a  fine  Presentation,  by  Salviati,  and  a  St. 
Catherine,  by  Palma.  But  this  church,  so  rich  in  curious 
old  monuments,  is  chiefly  interesting  to  a  lover  of  the  arts, 
as  containing  the  elegant  monument  erected  three  years  ago, 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


295 


to  the  memory  of  Canova;  opposite  to  that  it  is  intended  to 
erect  one,  designed  by  Canova  to  the  memory  of  Titian, 
whose  plain  tombstone,  inserted  in  the  pavement  at  present, 
only  bears  this  inscription:  a  Qui  giace  il  gran  Tiziano 
Ucelli  emulator  de  Zeuxi  e  degli  Apelle"  Here  lies  the 
great  Titian  Ucelli  the  rival  of  Zeuxis  and  Appelles.  As  I 
stood  over  this  inscription,  and  was  contemplating  the  noble 
monument  to  Canova,  the  great  organ  poured  out  a  strain  of 
magnificent  melody,  that  harmonized  with  my  feelings,  and 
increased  the  thrill  of  melancholy  admiration. 

Nothing  among  the  articles  manufactured  at  Venice  strikes 
the  visiter  so  much  as  the  vast  amount  and  beauty  of  the 
bags,  purses,  shawls,  scarfs,  &c,  made  of  coloured  beads. 
It  was  therefore  interesting  to  visit  the  manufactories  of  this 
article  on  the  island  of  San  Muriano,  where  glass  of  all 
kinds  is  manufactured.  I  was  astonished  to  see  a  lump  of  red 
hot  glass  on  the  end  of  an  iron  rod,  after  being  opened  into 
the  form  of  a  thick  cup  by  one  man,  and  its  mouth  stuck  to 
a  mass  of  hot  glass  on  a  rod  held  by  another  man,  immedi- 
ately brought  near  the  ground,  and  the  men  rapidly  receding 
from  each  other,  converting  it  in  a  few  moments  into  a  thin 
tube  one  hundred  and  twenty  paces  long.  A  slow  walk 
leaves  the  tube  thick,  whilst  a  rapid  movement  extends  it 
finer;  and  the  finest  is  made  by  running.  This  cord  of 
spun  glass  rests  on  strips  of  wood,  three  or  four  feet  apart, 
to  which  the  hot  glass  adheres  sufficiently  to  prevent  its 
bending  to  the  ground;  so  that  it  cools  perfectly  straight. 
The  workmen,  as  they  return  from  drawing  it,  raise  it  with  a 
hook  of  the  remaining  glass  on  the  rod,  from  its  attachments, 
and  remove  it  a  few  inches  back,  where  the  long  range  of 
threads  resemble  a  ropemaker's. 

These  tubular  threads  are  afterwards  cut  into  lengths  of 
about  thirty  inches,  and  taken  into  rooms  where  they  are 
chopped  into  bits  suitable  for  beads.  These  are  assorted  into 
sizes  by  sieves,  after  which  they  are  rubbed  in  a  moist  mix- 
ture of  powdered  flint  and  charcoal,  which  fills  up  the  holes 


296 


I 

NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


in  them  to  prevent  their  closing  by  heat,  and  put  into  cylin- 
ders of  iron,  which  are  kept  revolving  in  little  furnaces,  un- 
til they  are  sufficiently  rounded,  when  they  are  thrown  out 
to  cool  in  sand.  These  beads  are  of  all  sizes  and  colours. 
It  appeared  to  me  that  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  island,  which 
is  very  populous,  as  it  contains  several  churches,  are  engaged 
in  the  manufactory,  stringing  and  working  of  these  beads. 
It  is  only  by  such  an  extent  of  the  work  tlvat  articles  of  this 
manufacture  can  be  afforded  so  cheap  as  they  are  at  Venice. 

After  observing  the  modes  of  living  in  this  most  singular 
of  cities,  it  is  natural  to  inquire  how  the  dead  are  disposed 
of.  In  a  remote  insular  situation  of  the  water-bound  city, 
we  were  conducted  by  our  gondolier  to  the  Campo  Santo, 
where,  instead  of  a  watery  grave,  dry  vaults  of  solid  mason- 
ry in  holy  ground,  raised  above  high  water  mark,  are  pre- 
pared for  those  who  can  purchase  them;  but  our  dull  gondo- 
lier could  not  inform  us  where  the  vast  multitude  were  bu- 
ried, nor  what  became  of  those  w7ho  died  without  means. 
This  Campo  Santo  being  new,  was  not  yet  enriched  with 
sculptured  monuments. 

Having  engaged  seats  in  the  diligence  for  Milan,  we  assem- 
bled at  an  office  on  the  water's  edge,  and  at  midnight  in  a 
large  covered  row  boat,  proceeded  across  the  lagune  to 
Maestre  on  the  main  land,  five  miles  distant,  where,  at  day- 
light, we  found  the  stage  ready  to  receive  us.  Here  travel- 
lers leave  their  horses  and  carriages,  which  would  be  useless 
in  Venice,  though  Lord  Byron  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  his 
horse,  by  short  rides  in  one  street  which  leads  to  the  public 
garden.  The  level  grounds  about  Maestre,  which  are  drained 
with  ditches,  seem  to  offer  little  enjoyment  of  rural  life,  yet 
we  passed  many  country  seats  to  which  the  nobility  of  Ve- 
nice still  resort  for  the  pleasures  of  riding  and  gardening. 
The  statuary  which  decorates  the  gateways  of  many  of  these 
villas  is  often  of  a  singularly  burlesque  and  vulgar  cha- 
racter. 

Our  pause  at  Padua  was  only  sufficient  for  us  to  remark 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


297 


that  it  resembled  Bologna,  but  with  less  elegance,  in  its  ar- 
caded  streets;  that  the  court  yard  of  its  famous  university 
was  singularly  lined  with  the  coats  of  arms  of  its  titled  stu- 
dents; and  that  its  hall  of  justice  was  indeed  an  immense 
room,  being  three  hundred  feet  long,  one  hundred  wide,  and 
one  hundred  high. 

At  Vicenza,  we  had  scarcely  put  our  feet  to  the  ground, 
before  we  were  assailed  by  several  ciceroni,  who  offered  to 
show  us  all  the  buildings  constructed  by  Palladio,  who  was 
born  here,  and  who  indeed  has  much  embellished  the  city 
with  palaces  and  goodly  rows  of  columns. 

We  entered  the  strong  fortifications  of  Verona,  before 
sun-set,  and  had  time  to  run  over  some  of  its  ancient  streets, 
on  one  of  which,  as  summer  houses  in  a  garden,  stand  the 
Gothic  tombs  of  the  Scaligeri.  The  old  amphitheatre,  in- 
ferior in  size  and  beauty  to  the  Colosseum,  is  of  extraordina- 
ry strength  and  massiveness.  Only  part  of  the  high  outer 
wall  remains,  and  the  arches  all  around  are  used  as  shops 
and  manufactories.  To  see  the  interior,  we  had  to  buy  tick- 
ets of  admittance  to  a  play  that  was  then  performing  in  a 
little  theatre,  temporarily  fitted  up  within  the  arena.  The 
seats  within  this  immense  oval  are  huge  blocks  of  marble, 
and  the  whole  kept  in  perfect  repair,  giving  a  good  idea  of 
the  nature  of  these  structures. 

The  country,  insensibly  rising  as  we  advanced,  becomes 
more  agreeable  to  the  eye,  by  the  greater  variety  of  trees 
and  better  cultivation  of  the  soil,  and  a  nearer  prospect  of 
the  Alps,  which  bound  this  immense  plain  on  our  right  hand. 
Along  the  whole  road,  men,  women  and  children,  were  busy 
in  collecting  bags  full  of  mulberry  leaves  to  feed  their  silk 
worms,  stripping  the  trees  entirely  naked,  and  afterwards 
trimming  the  branches. 

As  we  approached  the  Lake  of  Garda,  we  met  num- 
bers of  military  with  their  baggage  wagons  as  in  time  of 
war,  and  shortly  after  were  surprised  to  find  that  the  high 
road  conducted  us  over  draw-bridges,  and  through  gates  into 

38 


298 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


the  walls  of  the  strong  fortress  of  Peschiera,  whose  ditches 
or  canals  are  filled  with  the  waters  of  the  lake  into  which 
the  fortress  projects.  A  little  beyond  this,  at  the  village, 
we  enjoyed  the  full  expanse  of  this  beautiful  lake  which  ap- 
pears to  terminate  in  the  midst  of  stupendous  mountains  di- 
rectly opposite. 

At  Brescia  we  had  time  only  to  hasten  to  the  Church  of 
St.  *ftffra,  to  see  a  good  picture  by  Titian,  of  the  Adulte- 
rous Woman  brought  to  Christ-,  and  a  splendid  one  by 
Paul  Veronese,  of  the  Martyrdom  of  St.  Jijfra.  A  sen- 
sible priest,  of  his  own  accord,  kindly  removed  some  candle- 
sticks and  flowers  which  injuriously  hid  the  lower  part  of  the 
picture. 

As  night  approached,  we  drove  along  the  fine  canal  which 
leads  from  the  Lake  of  Como.  Many  fields  were  over- 
flowed for  the  culture  of  rice.  Along  the  canal  we  remarked 
with  admiration  posts  of  granite  on  which  bars  of  granite 
rested,  about  nine  or  ten  inches  square  and  six  feet  long, 
making  a  beautiful  rail  fence.  We  entered  Milan  through  a 
long  broad  street,  gay  with  numerous  coffee-houses,  passed 
the  shadowy  grandeur  of  the  great  Cathedral,  and  were  glad 
to  rest  at  the  Hotel  Suisse. 


Milan,  May  22d. 

The  short  stay  which  1  permitted  myself  here,  allowed 
but  an  imperfect  opportunity  of  comparing  it  with  other  Ita- 
lian cities.  It  is  well  built,  smoothly  paved,  and  kept  remark- 
ably clean,  and  there  is  an  air  of  activity  and  content  among 
the  inhabitants.  Sunday  afternoon  the  streets  were  thronged 
with  people  paying  social  visits,  or  going  in  families  to  the 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


299 


public  walk,  which  is  situated  near  the  city  gate,  to  enjoy  its 
delightful  shades  and  the  gambols  of  their  children,  or  to  see 
the  parade  of  carriages,  which  pass  up  and  down  the  broad 
street  which  makes  the  corso  of  Milan.  Here  are  nume- 
rous coffee-houses;  but  neither  coffee  nor  ice  cream  appear 
to  be  so  much  called  for  as  beer,  which  is  very  cheap,  and 
perhaps  innocent. 

The  Cathedral,  though  I  had  seen  good  engravings  of  it, 
much  surpassed  my  expectations  in  the  beauty  of  its  Gothic 
ornaments,  and  the  profusion  of  its  bright  towering  pinna- 
cles; on  each  of  these  stands  a  statue  of  full  size,  besides  a 
vast  number  of  historic  statues  on  trusses  around  the  whole 
of  its  vast  circuit.  The  interior  is  less  beautiful,  though  of 
grand  proportions;  and  its  walls,  of  mottled  marble,  are  pos- 
sessed of  few  ornaments  and  no  pictures  of  any  value. 

Four  hundred  and  sixty-eight  steps  conduct  you  nearly  to 
the  top  of  the  great  spire  above  the  cupola.  The  roof  is  a 
surprising  work  of  marble  covering,  balustrade,  pinnacle, 
statue,  and  Gothic  work,  so  well  finished,  as  to  bear  a  close 
inspection,  throughout  the  wonderful  extent  and  number  of 
its  parts.  Several  spires  are  wanting  to  complete  the  plan, 
which  is  still  in  progress,  from  the  example  of  Napoleon. 

The  Palace  of  the  Arts  and  Sciences  is  a  vast  building, 
but  the  apartments  appropriated  to  the  collection  of  pic- 
tures can  boast  of  little  more  than  the  names  of  great  paint- 
ers. I  was  best  pleased  with  one  large  picture  by  Dome- 
nichino,  and  Guercino's  Abraham  dismissing  Hagar, 
which  is  universally  admired  for  its  expression. 

It  was  necessary  to  see  with  our  own  eyes  the  famous 
Last  Supper  by  Davinci,  which  we  found  more  visible  than 
was  expected;  but  barbarously  injured  and  as  barbarously 
repaired.  Contrary  to  what  is  generally  said,  I  thought 
the  figure  of  Christ  much  the  best  of  the  picture,  and  some 
of  the  merit  of  the  original  still  to  be  discernible  in  the 
groups  on  each  side  of  him.  Morghen's  beautiful  print  of 
this  composition,  and  the  large  drawings  of  the  heads  which 


300 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


are  published,  derived  from  collateral  sources,  such  as  Bos- 
sio's  copy  which  is  in  the  academy  here,  and  an  early  copy 
which  is  at  Dresden,  are  much  more  satisfactory  and  beauti- 
ful. An  Italian  artist  had  just  completed  a  large  copy  of  this 
picture  for  the  king  of  Sardinia,  and,  in  presence  of  the  so- 
ber tones  of  the  original,  had  exhausted  all  the  splendours 
of  his  palette  to  convert  the  humble  apostles  into  rich  gen- 
tlemen, with  much  good  wine  in  their  complexions. 

At  the  Ambrosian  Library  we  were  shown  a  great  num- 
ber of  pictures  of  very  moderate  merit.  Perhaps  the  car- 
toon of  Raphael's  School  of  Athens,  alone,  may  be  worth 
the  trouble  of  visiting  it. 

The  frescos  on  the  angels  of  the  cupola  of  La  Chiesa  di 
St.  Cielso,  painted  by  Appiani,  who  lately  died  here,  are  re- 
puted to  be  good  samples  of  solid  fresco  painting,  but  they 
fall  much  short  of  the  qualities  belonging  to  Domenichino 
in  the  Church  of  St.  Andrea  della  Valle  at  Rome. 

The  historical  painter  Palazzi  showed  us  some  fine  spe- 
cimens of  colour.  His  vast  apartments,  besides  some  good 
examples  of  his  own  skill,  are  filled  with  plasters,  ancient 
armour  and  a  large  collection  of  antiquities  of  which  he  is 
passionately  fond. 

Although  all  Italy  is  a  school  of  art,  yet  Rome  is  the  most 
favourable  spot  for  an  artist  to  study  the  highest  excellencies 
of  composition  and  character.  The  Museums  of  the  Vatican 
and  Capitol  are  filled  with  the  treasures  of  ancient  sculpture, 
composing  the  richest  materials  for  studying  the  human  figure 
in  the  most  diversified  and  elegant  forms,  with  drapery,  ani- 
mals, vases,  columns,  bassi  relievi,  &c.  Besides  the  chef 
d'ceuvres  of  painting  in  the  Vatican,  the  churches  abound  in 
sublime  works,  executed  by  tha  greatest  masters,  which,  as 
productions  of  art,  must  be  studied  without  prejudice  against 
them,  on  account  of  the  absurd  or  disgusting  scenes  which 
they  represent.  It  is  for  modern  artists  to  employ  the  prin- 
ciples they  may  study  here,  in  recording  nobler  subjects,  whe- 
ther of  imagination  or  history.   Not  the  least,  too,  among  the 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


301 


advantages  and  enjoyments  of  Rome  is  the  stimulating  in- 
fluence created  by  its  being  the  residence  of  so  many  artists, 
and  frequented  by  amateurs  of  all  nations.  At  Florence, 
however,  greater  facilities  are  offered  for  copying  and  study- 
ing some  of  the  finest  easel  pictures  in  the  world.  The  gal- 
leries of  the  palaces  in  Rome  may  be  occasionally  seen,  but, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Borghese,  seldom  admit  the  ea- 
sel of  a  painter.  The  National  Gallery  and  Ducal  Palace  at 
Florence  are  only  rivalled  by  the  Louvre  at  Paris  in  the  fa- 
cilities which  are  enjoyed  by  artists. 

But  neither  Rome  nor  Florence,  nor  any  other  city  of  Ita- 
ly, possesses  a  school  of  painting.  Their  academies  teach 
nothing  but-drawing,  which  is,  indeed,  exquisitely  fine,  and 
productive  of  the  most  beautiful  engravings;  but  painting  is 
learned  without  any  established  practice,  or  in  vicious  imita- 
tion of  that  which  is  erroneous.  There  is  not  even  a  good  or 
honest  colourman  in  Rome  or  Florence,  and  artists  use,  with- 
out system,  pigments  of  which  they  know  not  the  true  names. 
The  best  painters  in  Italy  are  foreigners,  who  more  eagerly 
seize  upon  the  excellencies  they  have  come  so  far  to  study; 
and  without  them  the  art  would  be  in  danger  of  being  total- 
ly lost  where  it  has  so  gloriously  flourished. 

In  regard  to  the  peculiar  excellencies  which  certain  pain- 
ters of  past  time  have  shown  in  their  works,  nothing  has 
more  puzzled  the  professors  and  critics  of  art.  It  has  ap- 
peared to  me  that  although  a  great  deal  must  have  depended 
upon  the  capacity  of  the  artist  and  his  means  of  information, 
and  a  vast  deal  on  the  nature  of  his  employment  and  encou- 
ragement, almost  as  much  advantage  has  been  derived  from 
accidental  circumstances.  The  Italians,  who  enjoy  a  clear 
sky,  and  witness  in  their  sun-sets  the  most  glowing  colours, 
are  surprised  that  the  Hollanders,  living  in  an  atmosphere  of 
gray  mist,  should  have  produced  so  many  excellent  colourists. 
I  conceive  it  to  have  arisen  chiefly  from  that  circumstance 
that  they  were  so.  A  vapoury  atmosphere,  that  reduces  all 
colours  at  a  distance  to  one  hue  of  gray,  serves,  at  the  same 


302 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


time,  to  render  every  colour  which  is  near,  not  only  more 
distinct,  but  more  agreeably  illuminated;  but,  under  a  blue 
sky  the  shadows  are  necessarily  tinged  with  blue,  and  the  eye 
becoming  accustomed  to  vivid  colours,  too  easily  rests  satis- 
fied with  the  most  violent  contrasts,  both  in  nature  and  the 
works  of  art. 

The  atmosphere  of  England,  in  like  manner,  has  contri- 
buted to  produce  a  good  taste  in  colouring  which  was  con- 
firmed by  the  example  and  authority  of  Reynolds,  who  so  well 
understood  the  principles  of  the  Flemish  masters.  Giorgione, 
Titian  and  Paul  Veronese  were,  it  is  true,  Italians,  and  rank 
at  the  head  of  good  colourists;  but  the  situation  of  Venice, 
built  in  the  water,  essentially  softens  its  atmosphere  and  com- 
bines the  advantages  of  Holland  and  Italy.  The  happy  ge- 
nius of  Coreggio  derived  his  theory  of  light  and  colour  certain- 
ly not  from  his  visit  to  Rome. 

Accidental  circumstances  have  probably  influenced  seve- 
ral distinguished  artists.  Vandyck  happened  to  learn  the  use 
of  a  certain  brown  colour  from  Germany,  called  Terra  de 
Cassel,  by  which  he  softened  and  harmonized  his  shadows; 
hence  the  English  artists  call  it  Vandyck  brown.  Holland, 
enjoying  the  commerce  of  the  East  Indies,  which  furnished 
her  with  a  variety  of  pigments,  likewise  produced  from  her 
own  soil  the  best  quality  of  madder,  from  which  her  che- 
mists and  manufacturers  procured  the  richest  and  most  dura- 
ble dyes ;  and  although  madder  lake  is  supposed  to  be  a  re- 
cent invention,  and  certainly  is  only  within  a  few  years  a  co- 
lour that  may  be  purchased  in  the  shops,  I  think  it  very  pro- 
bable that  Van  Huysum,  and  other  painters  of  that  country, 
must  have  known  the  use  of  this  and  other  rich  pigments,  the 
knowledge  of  which  they  could  not  entirely  keep  to  them- 
selves, but  which  were  probably  known  to  Andrea  del  Sarto 
and  the  good  colourists  of  Florence.  It  is  not  improbable  that 
the  fashion  of  wearing  changeable  silks,  reflecting  opposite  co- 
lours in  different  angles,  may  have  influenced  the  old  paint- 
ers to  represent  their  blue  draperies  with  red  shadows  and 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


303 


yellow  lights,  as  in  Raphael's  picture  of  the  Transfiguration: 
certain  it  is  that  such  things  being  found  in  the  master  works 
of  the  great  painters,  which  are  copied  with  the  most  scru- 
pulous exactness,  even  to  the  most  palpable  fault,  the  paint- 
ers of  the  present  day  in  Italy  pursue  the  same  system  of 
colouring  with  as  much  pertinacity  as  they  display  in  their 
hard-earned  accuracy  of  outline. 

Besides,  the  revival  of  the  art  in  Italy  was  by  fresco  paint- 
ing, the  peculiar  nature  of  which  required  that  the  artist 
should  first  prepare  his  compositions  in  finished  cartoons.  At 
all  events,  it  was  the  practice  of  painters,  derived  from  each 
other,  and  passing  from  generation  to  generation,  to  bestow 
their  chief  study  on  a  cartoon  executed  in  black  and  white 
chalk  of  the  full  size  of  the  intended  fresco.  Many  of  these 
are  preserved  in  the  galleries  and  churches  of  Italy,  and  are 
to  be  considered  among  the  most  precious  relics  of  the  art; 
displaying  the  finest  skill  of  the  master,  in  composition,  draw- 
ing, light  and  shade,  and  execution.  Of  these  original  and 
spirited  drawings,  what  are  called  the  original  pictures  are 
but  copies  in  colour,  sometimes  executed  by  the  master  him- 
self, but  more  frequently  by  some  of  his  pupils.  This  is  the 
process  employed  by  Camucini  and  Benvenuti,  as  it  is  well 
known  to  have  been  by  Raphael.  The  numerous  portraits 
of  Julius  II.  each  claiming  to  be  the  original,  were  all  paint- 
ed by  some  of  the  thirty  artists  who  worked  for  Raphael, 
from  the  beautiful  original  drawing  in  chalks  of  the  full  size 
which  is  in  the  Corsini  Palace  at  Florence. 

When  oil  painting  was  introduced  into  Italy,  and  adopted 
by  those  who  had  practised  in  fresco,  the  habits  which  they 
had  acquired  led  them  to  practise  the  methods  with  which 
they  were  most  familiar.  Their  oil  paintings  were  therefore 
generally  painted  from  drawings,  and,  hence,  the  colouring 
was  often  from  imagination  or  recollection,  which  sufficient- 
ly accounts  for  its  deviation  from  nature;  although  it  is  fre- 
quently spread  out  with  great  beauty  and  airiness.  Those 
painters  who,  it  is  agreed,  excelled  in  colouring,  almost  al- 


•     #  t  A 

304  NOTES  ON  ITALY. 

ways  painted  their  studies  in  colours,  by  which  they  had 
a  double  chance  of  success,  without  vitiating  their  own 
powers  of  vision  by  the  continual  contemplation  of  highly 
wrought  colourless  forms,  or  transcripts  in  fanciful  hues. 

In  leaving  Milan  I  may  bid  farewell  to  the  arts  of  Italy! 
An  Italian,  not  exempted  from  bigotry,  discovered  a  new 
world  for  the  emancipation  of  man.  May  America  in  pa- 
tronising the  arts,  receive  them  as  the  offspring  of  enlight- 
ened Greece,  transmitted  through  Italy,  where  their  mira- 
culous powers  were  nourished  in  the  bondage  of  mind.  Let 
them  in  turn  be  emancipated  and  their  persuasive  and  fas- 
cinating language  be  exalted  to  the  noblest  purposes,  and 
be  made  instrumental  to  social  happiness  and  national  glory! 

We  left  Milan,  not  through,  but  in  sight  of  the  elegant 
triumphal  arch  begun  by  Napoleon,  now  finishing  by  the 
Austrian  government  as  the  arch  of  peace.  We  thence 
passed  over  a  fine  road  and  through  an  agreeable  country  to 
Sestro,  a  wretched  old  village  at  the  head  of  the  beautiful 
lake  Maggiore.  Three  or  four  miles  before  we  reached 
Sestro  we  were  shown  a  cypress  tree  which  bears  the  repu- 
tation of  being  five  thousand  years  old,  and  near  the  spot 
where  Scipio  met  Hannibal  after  crossing  the  Alps.  What- 
ever may  be  the  error  of  those  assertions,  the  tree  is  an  in- 
teresting object  from  its  extraordinary  size  and  the  freedom 
with  which  it  has  been  suffered  to  spread  out  its  venerable 
branches;  a  privilege  rarely  granted  to  any  tree  in  Italy. 

Embarking  on  the  placid  lake  in  a  coarse  boat,  conduct- 
ed by  three  rowers,  our  purpose  was  to  anticipate  the  de- 
parture of  the  steam-boat,  in  order  to  gain  time  enough  for 
a  visit  to  the  colossal  Statue  of  S.  Charles  Borromeo.  In 
our  course  we  enjoyed  the  green  banks  of  the  lake,  villages 
to  which  distance  gave  an  air  of  neatness,  groups  of  un- 
dipped trees  and  mountains  that  skirted  the  distant  bor- 
ders. We  landed  at  the  village  of  Jirona  and  walked 
around  the  neighbouring  hills,  up  to  a  considerable  emi- 
nence, where  a  church  and  convent  stand,  under  the  pro- 


NOTES  ON  ITALY.  305 

tecting  genius  of  San  Carlo  B  or  ro??ieoy  whose  colossal  sta- 
tue towers  above  them.  It  is  made  of  sheet  copper  and 
stands  on  a  pedestal  about  forty  feet  high,  and  judging  by  a 
ladder  which  was  placed  at  one  side  and  the  proportions  of 
the  persons  who  ascended  it,  I  computed  the  height  of  the 
statue  to  be  about  seventy  feet.  This  agrees  with  the  state- 
ment of  my  companions  who  ascended  under  the  skirt  of 
his  tunic,  and  climbed  the  iron  bars  which  united  the  cir- 
cumference of  the  bishop's  garment  with  the  brick  core 
that  rises  through  it.  The  head,  they  agree,  is  about  eight 
or  nine  feet  in  height,  so  that  only  a  boy  or  a  very  small 
man  can  stand  in  the  nose.  Yet  it  is  not  only  a  very  stu- 
pendous, but  I  think  it  rather  an  elegant  statue.  My  com- 
panions were  amused  with  the  singular  animation  which 
they  found  in  the  head  of  the  saint,  the  dark  asylum  of  a 
vast  number  of  bats,  which  darted  past  them  to  escape  out 
of  a  trap-door  in  the  neck. 

Our  visit  to  the  statue  occupying  more  time  than  we  had 
computed,  the  steam-boat  had  arrived  at  Arona  and  gone 
on  without  us,  and  we  were  obliged  to  employ  a  vetturino 
to  take  us  to  Domo  d'Ossola:  we  devoted  a  part  of  the  af- 
ternoon to  an  excursion  by  water  to  the  celebrated  Isola 
bella,  whose  terraces  resemble  a  pyramidal  mount,  floating, 
on  the  water.  As  we  passed  this  terraced  end  of  the  island, 
we  were  surprised  to  find  a  dirty  little  village  which  in  part 
separated  the  gardens  from  the  palace,  whose  broad  foun- 
dations rose  out  of  the  water  at  the  other  end.  Here  we 
landed  to  be  conducted  through  its  fantastic  suites  of  peb- 
ble coated  rooms,  and  halls  covered  with  bad  pictures  in 
stupendous  gold  frames. 

The  terraces  which  appear  so  beautiful  at  a  distance  were 
found  to  be  all  built  on  arches,  faced  writh  stone  walls,  and 
rendered  green  by  the  branches  of  orange  and  lemon  trees 
spread  over  them.  The  whole  circuit  of  the  little  island 
domain,  comprised  a  great  variety  of  garden,  terrace,  grotto 
and  grove,  the  successive  improvements  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  years.     That  too  is  the  age  of  a  large  laurel  tree 

39 


1 


306  NOTES  ON  ITALY. 

which  was  amongst  the  trees  first  planted  on  a  soil  brought 
from  the  main  shore  to  cover  the  wild  rocks  chosen  for  this 
fairy  creation.  The  gardener  showed  us  a  favourite  planta- 
tion of  American  pines  of  twenty  years  growth.  In  return- 
ing to  the  boat  and  rowing  round  the  island,  we  were  much 
more  pleased  with  the  side  next  the  centre  of  the  lake,  as  it 
was  more  wild  and  exhibited  a  forest  of  luxuriant  trees  be- 
tween the  garden  and  the  mansion. 

From  Domo  d'Ossola,  where  we  were  saluted  with  a  hea- 
vy hail  storm,  our  course  was  nearly  level  between  two 
mountains  of  increasing  height,  for  a  considerable  distance; 
and  then  from  Gondo  we  began  to  ascend  the  Alps.  As 
we  rose,  we  had  beautiful  but  not  extensive  views  of  the 
little  valley  of  Altrona  which  we  were  leaving,  and  which 
was  soon  lost  sight  of  in  the  bends  of  the  mountain.  On 
this  road  we  met  six  huge  columns  of  marble,  thirty-five 
feet  long,  which  were  quarried  on  one  of  its  sides.  They 
were  conveyed  down  on  wagons  the  wheels  of  which  were 
moved  by  cogs  working  with  a  hand  wench,  without  horses. 

It  was  matter  of  surprise  to  me,  but  absolutely  manifest, 
that  travellers  arriving  from  the  other  side  here  into  Italy, 
instead  of  looking  down  upon  her  extensive  sunny  plains, 
.which  is  an  idle  dream  of  the  imagination,  can  only  look 
down  on  this  little  narrow  and  nearly  level  valley  of  Al- 
trona, and  thence  pass  out  to  the  mountain  encircled  Lake 
Maggiore.  Our  road  through  this  vale  and  up  the  sides  of 
the  mountains  was  constantly  by  the  side  of  a  rapid  current 
of  water,  which  sometimes  curled  and  foamed  on  one  side 
of  us  and  sometimes  on  the  other,  as  we  crossed  by  bridges, 
according  to  the  facilities  which  had  been  found  for  con- 
structing a  road  on  the  steep  sides  of  rocky  mountains 
sometimes  rising  almost  perpendicularly.  The  first  portion 
of  this  road  may  be  called  beautiful,  as  it  presented  views 
of  various  villages,  hamlets  and  green  cultivated  spots;  but, 
as  we  advanced,  the  torrent  of  water,  rushing  over  rougher 
stones,  roared  deeper  below  our  feet,  as  the  cliffs  and  peaks 
rose  higher  above  our  heads;  many  of  these  were  covered 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


307 


with  snow,  and  the  surface  of  the  rocks,  blackened  by 
streamlets  and  slender  cascades,  exhibited  little  vegetation 
but  dark  hemlock  and  pines.  The  ascent  was  gradual  but 
constant,  and  our  entrance  among  these  cliffs  was  quite  as 
sublime  as  when  we  had  gained  the  greatest  heights,  for  our 
prospect  was  always  limited  by  the  surrounding  cliffs, 
which  to  the  eye  seemed  to  rise  no  higher  in  relation  to  the 
torrent  and  the  road;  though  the  mind  was  satisfied  of  their 
increasing  altitude  by  reflecting  on  the  road  we  had  passed, 
and  the  continual  descent  of  the  torrent  flowing  from  pin- 
nacles of  eternal  snow. 

A  bridge  and  some  parts  of  the  road  were  nearly  de- 
stroyed by  the  mountain  torrents;  and,  at  one  spot,  were 
almost  impassable,  although  many  hands  were  employed  in 
removing  the  rocks  which  had  fallen  from  the  mountain. 
The  road  otherwise  was  excellent  as  well  as  the  bridges, 
which  in  general  were  of  wood,  level  and  supported  by  stone 
abutments.  These,  occurring  among  the  deepest  passages 
of  the  mountains,  were  the  spots  at  which  we  felt  the  most 
violent  blasts  of  wind,  rendered  doubly  offensive  by  the 
spray  of  cascades  and  the  cold  from  the  snow-tops.  What 
is  called  the  Grand  Gallery ;  is  a  perforation  of  the  other- 
wise impassable  projection  of  rocks,  large  and  wide  enough 
to  answer  the  purpose;  but  these  perforations  are  by  no 
means  elegant  as  they  are  sometimes  described,  being  in 
general  extremely  rude,  with  great  ruptured  openings  to 
afford  light  in  the  longest  and  something  like  windows  in 
others.  We  found  two  of  them  so  muddy  from  water 
streaming  through  the  top,  that  we  could  not  comfortably 
walk  through  them. 

On  the  road,  occasionally,  we  reached  the  habitation  of  a 
family  with  a  large  building  to  shelter  horses  and  carriages, 
and  houses  of  refuge  with  chimneys  for  the  comfort  of  tra- 
vellers whose  passage  may  be  impeded  by  snow  or  acci- 
dents. The  roof  of  one  of  these  shelters  was  nearly  all 
broken  in  by  stones  which  had  fallen  from  the  mountain. 
We  passed  many  loaded  wagons  and  foot  passengers.  Oc- 


308 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


casionally,  where  the  openings  of  the  mountains  afforded  a 
few  habitable  slopes,  were  to  be  seen  little  huts  which  are 
occupied  by  cowherds  during  the  summer. 

Hitherto  we  had  undeviatingly  pursued  the  course  of  the 
torrent,  which  had  originally  indicated  this  route;  we  now 
left  it,  and  winding  to  the  right  between  mountains  more 
open  and  less  precipitous,  we  soon  arrived  at  the  village  of 
the  Simplon,  and  many  houses  scattered  among  the  hills, 
where  there  is  a  considerable  quantity  of  ground,  not  too 
steep  for  cultivation,  and  some  fields  of  grass.  On  stopping 
at  the  snug  inn  of  the  village,  the  jolly  and  kind  landlady,  de- 
lighted us  with  the  sound  of  melodious  French,  and  satisfied 
us  with  an  honest  hospitality. 

We  continued  still  to  ascend  the  mountain  for  more  than 
two  hours;  altogether,  we  were  about  nine  hours,  till  we 
reached  the  summit.  Here  we  found  snow  on  all  the  hills 
around  us,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  roads,  whence  it  had  re- 
cently been  cleared,  as  was  evident  by  the  marks  of  the  sho- 
vels still  remaining.  Poles  of  twenty  feet  in  height  were 
fixed  along  the  outer  edge  of  the  road,  to  indicate  its  course 
in  sudden  falls  of  snow,  and  the  tall  and  friendly  hospice,  in- 
habited by  the  monks  of  St.  Bernard,  with  its  steeple  and 
alarm  bell,  stood  in  sight.  A  little  farther,  in  a  more  eligible 
situation,  rose  the  elegant  new  edifice,  intended  as  the  con- 
vent and  barracks,  which  is  not  yet  finished.  A  temporary 
saw  mill  is  constructed  near  it. 

We  were  now  descending  into  Switzerland,  and  soon 
opened  into  a  magnificent  valley,  around  whose  vast  circuit 
we  swept  our  rapid  course,  passing  a  gallery  constructed  as 
a  protection  against  avalanches  from  the  mountains,  and  a 
fine  water  fall  which  issued  from  the  glaciers  to  unite  with 
other  streams  descending  to  the  Rhone.  Immense  forests  of 
close  crowded  larch  and  hemlock  looked  darkly  below  us, 
contrasting  with  many  beautiful  spots  of  distant  verdure  and 
habitation,  with  the  white  summits  of  Mont  Blanc,  and  the 
chains  of  glaciers.  Looking  directly  down  the  immense 
opening  between  these  mountains,  at  once  more  sublime  and 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


309 


beautiful  than  any  thing  we  had  hitherto  seen,  at  a  great  dis- 
tance we  could  perceive  the  village  of  Brigg  touched  by  the 
last  rays  of  the  sun;  but  it  was  a  transient,  though  beautiful 
gleam,  for  suddenly  the  clouds  thickened  on  the  heads  of  the 
mountains,  and  stretching  across  the  valley,  involved  us  in  a 
driving  snow  storm,  which  anticipated  the  effect  of  night  in 
veiling  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  the  scenery  till  we  reached 
the  comfort  of  a  bed  at  Brigg. 

Next  morning  the  sun  shone  bright  upon  the  white  caps  of 
the  Green  Mountains  which  we  had  left,  and  we  continued 
our  course  through  the  Valley  of  the  Rhone,  whose  rapid 
and  turbid  waters  are  progressively  increasing  by  torrents 
from  the  mountains,  some  of  which  descend  in  cataracts. 
These  are  frequently  praised  beyond  their  merits,  and  repre- 
sented by  artists  beyond  their  actual  dimensions;  but  though 
we  found  the  cascades,  neither  u  transformed  into  a  thin 
sheet  of  gauze,"  nor  decorated  with  Madam  Stark's  "  terres- 
trial rainbow,"  yet  they  were  really  very  beautiful. 

In  pursuing  the  course  of  the  Rhone,  too  rapid  to  be  na- 
vigated, the  valley,  occasionally  narrow  and  barren,  some- 
times afforded  broad  fields  for  cultivation,  and  situations  for 
numerous  villages.  In  the  vicinity  of  these,  every  side  of 
the  mountains,  that  could  admit  of  it,  was  cultivated;  parti- 
cularly at  the  old  fortified  town  of  Sion.  A  little  delay  at 
this  celebrated  military  bishopric,  enabled  us  to  visit  the  for- 
tified rocks  which  rise  high  out  of  the  town,  in  the  midst  of 
the  valley,  and  furnish  commanding  and  beautiful  views  of 
the  rich  plains  above  and  below,  and  the  neighbouring  moun- 
tains studded  with  settlements.  Here,  as  well  as  through  all 
the  valley,  the  inhabitants,  young  and  old,  politely  bow  to 
strangers.  But  they  are  in  general  an  ill-looking  race  of 
unfortunate  beings,  deformed  with  hideous  goitres  and  idiotic 
countenances,  and  remarkable  for  an  uncommon  breadth  be- 
tween the  eyes. 

Near  the  town  of  Martigny  the  valley  presented  a  shock- 
ing scene  of  desolation,  being  covered  not  only  with  vast 
quantities  of  stones,  but  great  rocks  which  had  been  hurried 


310 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


down  from  the  mountain  gorge,  with  a  destructive  flood, 
which  overwhelmed  the  village  some  years  ago.  Our  pas- 
sage through  this  was  as  rude  as  on  the  worst  roads  in  Ame- 
rica, but  many  workmen  were  engaged  in  repairing  it. 

The  valley  now  opens  wider,  the  villages  appear  much 
neater,  and  though  the  men  smoked  the  same  German  pipes, 
the  fashion  of  the  peasant  women's  head  dress  suddenly 
changed.  In  the  upper  section  of  the  valley  they  wore  little 
hats,  rolled  up  at  the  rim,  and  ornamented  with  cloth  or 
silk;  here  the  hats  of  thick  straw  resembled  the  roof  of  a 
Turkish  mosque.  At  length  the  town  of  Villeneuve  re- 
ceived us  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  where  we  rested  and 
slept  away  the  jolting  sensations  of  carriage  motion. 

The  wine  of  the  country,  which  costs  but  a  few  cents,  was 
the  worst  I  had  tasted  in  France  or  Italy,  resembling  bad  ci- 
der and  water.  But  here,  as  in  every  part  of  France  and 
Italy,  the  traveller  finds,  hung  up  in  his  bed-room,  a  list  of 
foreign  wines,  from  which  the  host  derives  his  best  profit. 
Many  that  will  not  drink  these  wines  whilst  passing  through 
the  countries  which  produce  them,  because  they  are  then 
called  common,  either  from  ostentation  or  perverseness,  will 
pay  high  prices  for  them,  in  some  distant  place,  under  the 
title  of  foreign  wine.  Thus  at  Paris  the  wine  which  I  think 
so  poor  in  this  cold  ravine  of  the  valleys,  under  the  name  of 
Cote  Rotie,  as  a  foreign  wine,  is  charged  six  franks  the  bottle, 
whilst  the  common  Burgundy,  which  is  despised  at  Paris,  is 
here  rated  high  as  a  foreign  wine. 

Next  day  we  were  conveyed  to  the  steam  boat,  which  lay 
at  anchor,  there  being  no  wharf.  The  gay  and  well-known 
aspect  of  this  vessel,  so  entirely  American,  required  that  we 
should  reason  ourselves  into  the  conviction  that  we  were 
really  on  the  lake  of  Geneva  or  Leman.  Before  us  was 
Lord  Byron's  castle  of  Chillon,  and  Rousseau's  village  of 
Clarens,  and  other  Swiss  towns  on  the  borders  of  the  beau- 
tiful lake,  whilst  magnificent  mountains  encircled  the  horizon, 
having  their  nearest  slopes  finely  cultivated,  and  their  distant 
peaks  covered  with  snow. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


311 


The  boat  suspended  her  course  to  convey  and  receive  pas- 
sengers to  and  from  the  chief  villages,  but  remained  a  longer 
time  opposite  Lausanne,  whose  neat  and  elegant  houses,  in- 
termingled with  groves  and  luxuriant  trees,  appeared  to  me 
the  most  beautiful  settlement  1  had  ever  seen.  At  Lausanne 
we  had  accomplished  about  one  third  of  the  length  of  the 
lake,  whose  crescent  form  then  tends  to  the  left,  and  becomes 
less  picturesque,  though  always  beautiful,  and  not  unlike  the 
shores  of  the  Delaware.  Among  the  variety  of  our  passen- 
gers, there  was  scarcely  any  peculiarity  of  Swiss  costume, 
which  must  be  sought  for  in  the  remote  intricacies  of  the 
mountains;  but  a  travelling  songstress  with  her  harp,  accom- 
panied by  her  happy  husband  and  his  violin,  joined  us  at 
Lausanne,  and  proved,  by  our  willing  contributions,  that  her 
songs  were  sweetly  sung,  and  the  accompaniments  harmonious 
and  effective.  I  was  not  fortunate  in  Italy  to  meet  with  any 
music  of  that  class  so  good.  There,  it  was  noise  and  diffi- 
cult execution;  here,  sweetness  and  expressive  melody.  As 
the  scenery  became  less  interesting,  amusement  was  procured 
in  the  cabin  by  newspapers  and  a  good  little  library;  and  re- 
freshment by  breakfasts  and  dinners  which  were  furnished 
when  ordered  at  separate  tables,  there  being  no  ordinary. 

At  length,  after  eight  hours  navigation,  we  approached  the 
termination  of  the  lake,  and  perceived  the  ancient  city  of 
Geneva,  situated  where  the  waters  of  the  lake  rush  out  in 
two  rapid  streams,  soon  uniting  to  continue  their  course,  as 
the  river  Rhone,  into  France. 


Geneva,  May  29th. 

The  streams  which  pour  into  the  head  of  the  lake,  are 
turbid  with  the  particles  of  white  rocks,  which  are  reduced 
in  their  violent  passage  down  the  Alps.  These  are  chiefly 
deposited  in  the  tranquil  basin  of  the  lake,  which  resembles 
the  pale  green  of  salt  water;  but  it  is  remarkable  that  the 


312 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


small  remaining  quantity,  or  what  the  water  holds  in  solution, 
gives  it  a  tincture  so  blue,  as  it  appears  in  its  outlet  under 
the  city  bridges,  that  it  seems  impregnated  from  dyers'  vats. 

The  houses  on  the  water's  edge  are  old  and  ugly,  but  are 
about  to  be  embellished  with  elegant  fronts.  The  streets  are 
paved  with  pebbles,  painful  to  feet  affected  with  corns,  and 
stores  abound,  furnished  with  mixed  assortments  of  articles, 
useful  to  all  the  surrounding  country.  But  rising  into  the 
newer  portions  of  the  city,  some  elegant  shops,  in  the  taste 
of  Paris,  tempt  the  sojourner,  especially  with  souvenirs, 
and  paintings  of  Swiss  scenery,  as  well  as  clothes,  jewelry, 
and  all  sorts  of  conveniences,  real  and  imaginary.  On  ad- 
vancing towards  the  public  walks,  you  may  enjoy  one  long, 
broad,  and  smooth  stone  pavement  in  front  of  an  uncommon- 
ly elegant  row  of  houses,  built  of  light  gray  stone,  termina- 
ting at  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts. 

In  this  neighbourhood  are  many  elegant  residences,  public 
walks,  delightful  groves,  and  a  botanic  garden.  The  ram- 
parts which  surround  the  city,  are  laid  out  as  gardens  and 
walks,  and  are  shaded  with  luxuriant  trees,  from  whose  co- 
ver you  look  abroad  upon  the  plain,  lake  and  mountain.  On 
the  highest  part  of  the  city  stands  the  Cathedral;  on  entering 
its  Gothic  aisle,  somewhat  resembling  the  cathedral  of  Mi- 
lan, but  smaller,  it  produced  at  first  a  similar  impression; 
but  no  holy  water  was  to  be  found  near  the  door;  no  altars 
numbered  its  side  arches;  no  hideous  martyrdoms  nor  choice 
paintings  were  hung  up  for  the  edification  of  pentitents  or 
painters;  no  gorgeous  altar  of  precious  stones,  gold,  silver, 
and  blazing  wax,  was  to  be  seen  under  its  dome;  and  no 
Madonna  nor  crucifix,  to  concentrate  the  devotions  of  the 
pilgrim  or  the  beggar.  But  there  was  a  large,  respectable 
congregation,  comfortably  seated,  listening,  not  to  the  mysti- 
cal assertions  of  a  bald  head,  and  bearded  monk,  in  a  sooty 
garment,  but  to  the  moral  instructions  of  a  good  looking  gen- 
tleman, with  white  bib  and  black  gown,  who  had  possession 
of  the  pulpit,  and  spoke  in  French.  In  short,  we  were  now 
in  a  protestant  country,  somewhat  improved  and  moderated 
from  the  violence  of  Geneva's  celebrated  reformer. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


313 


When  the  stranger  goes  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  or  Hall  of 
the  Municipality,  to  attend  to  his  passport,  he  may  either 
walk  up  stairs,  or  ascend  by  the  gradual  slope  of  a  pavement 
reaching  to  the  highest  chambers,  contrived,  it  is  said,  for 
the  aged  magistrates  to  ascend  on  horse-back.  Within  the 
square  of  this  ascent,  is  a  cistern,  to  which  the  water  is 
forced  by  machinery,  worked  on  the  river,  and  from  thence 
conducted  to  the  public  fountains. 

Opposite  the  City  Hall  is  the  Jirmoury,  where,  besides 
the  modern  arms  for  actual  use,  are  preserved  a  great 
quantity  of  ancient  armour,  shields,  swords,  war-clubs,  &c. 
and  the  scaling  ladders  of  a  body  of  two  hundred  enemies 
who  had  entered  Geneva  at  midnight,  but  were  all  taken 
prisoners,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  Near 
some  petards  or  short  cannon  for  forcing  open  gates,  was  a 
massive  helmet  of  extraordinary  weight,  worn  by  those 
who  managed  these  petards,  to  protect  them  against  the  mis- 
siles of  the  besieged.  Here  also  is  a  variety  of  ancient  guns 
and  curious  pistols  with  match  locks,  and  other  locks  of 
singular  construction,  in  use  before  those  instruments  of 
murder  were  brought  to  perfection.  The  keepers  were 
preparing  to  distribute  the  muskets  to  young  militia  men, 
who,  in  a  few  days,  are  to  encamp  for  several  weeks  under 
military  discipline,  from  which  none  are  exempt  but  teachers 
and  clergymen. 

In  the  same  neighbourhood  is  a  large  building  appropri- 
ated to  literature  and  the  sciences,  containing  a  library, 
reading  rooms,  and  a  Museum  of  Natural  History.  Here 
we  saw,  for  none  appeared  on  the  mountains,  the  hooked 
horn  chamois,  and  the  chamony  with  great  dentated  horns, 
the  great  vulture  or  griffon  of  the  Grisons,  and  the  gray 
wrolf  and  black  bear  of  the  neighbouring  mountains.  The 
Museum,  in  several  rooms,  contains  a  scientific  display  of 
the  productions  of  all  countries,  not  excepting  the  elephant 
and  the  giraffe.  I  was  especially  pleased  with  a  beautiful 
specimen  of  the  argus  pheasant.    This  collection  was  com- 

40 


314 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


menced  by  M.  Pictet  and  other  gentlemen  ten  years  ago, 
but  has  become  public  property  within  one  year.  An  up- 
per hall  is  filled  with  antiquities,  Indian  curiosities  and  a 
good  collection  of  medals,  many  of  which  are  of  Genevese 
workmanship. 

The  schools  of  drawing,  painting,  modelling  and  archi- 
tecture, and  the  gallery  of  statues  and  paintings,  occupy  the 
beautiful  building  near  the  botanic  garden,  called  the  Rath 
Museum,  from  General  Rath,  who  left  his  fortune  to  his 
sisters  with  a  request  that  they  would  bequeath  enough  to 
build  a  foundation  of  this  sort.  Six  years  after  his  death 
they  chose  to  do  it  in  anticipation,  and  live  next  door  to  en- 
joy the  reputation  of  their  taste  and  liberality.  The  school 
rooms  are  in  the  basement  story,  above  which  are  four  ele- 
gant and  well  lighted  halls,  containing  plasters  of  the  best 
statues,  and  a  number  of  pictures  presented  by  the  citizens 
of  Geneva.  Among  them  are  unusually  good  copies  of  Ra-  - 
phaePs  School  of  Jlthens  and  Titian's  Danae.  Two  his- 
torical pictures  by  Berghem,  good  landscapes  by  Salvator 
Rosa,  and  Van  Goyen,  and  two  pictures  by  Rubens  and 
Jordaens. 

The  watch-making  business  of  Geneva  has  been  long  ce- 
lebrated. Its  work  in  jewelry  is  now  rising  in  reputation 
and  value,  especially  that  of  enamelled  gold,  and  its  musi- 
cal boxes  and  ingenious  machinery  are  worthy  of  especial 
notice.  Some  of  these  musical  boxes,  at  the  elder  Mou- 
linie's,  are  very  true  and  sweet.  He  showed  us  a  little 
bird  that  came  out  of  a  case  like  a  snuff-box,  whistling  and 
chirping  like  a  real  bird,  and  then  dipping  under  cover; 
but  this  elegant  toy  was  not  to  be  purchased  for  less  than 
forty  Napoleons. 

The  language  universally  spoken  is  French,  uttered  with 
a  peculiar  musical  cadence,  which,  from  the  mouth  of  an  old 
woman,  seems  like  the  affectation  of  girlishness. 

Geneva  is  amply  supplied  with  hackney  coaches  and  car- 
riages of  every  kind  for  the  purposes  of  travelling  and  visit- 
ing the  neighbourhood.    But  the  vehicle  most  in  use  in  the 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


315 


immediate  vicinity  is  what  is  called  a  char  a  banc,  which 
is  a  light  four  wheeled  carriage,  with  a  seat  lengthwise,  for 
three  persons,  covered  like  a  gig,  endwise,  and  a  step  near 
the  ground  for  the  feet  to  rest  on,  admirably  contrived  for 
the  facility  of  mounting  and  dismounting. 

Desirous  of  hastening  to  Paris,  I  took  my  seat  in  one  of 
Lafitte  and  Go's,  four  hundred  and  twenty  diligences,  which 
in  a  little  time  conveyed  us  over  the  beautiful  plains  of  Ge- 
neva to  the  foot  of  the  Jura  mountains.  To  enjoy  the  last 
opportunity  of  looking  back  on  the  Alps,  Geneva  and  its 
lake,  we  walked  in  advance  of  the  carriage,  which  took 
three  hours  before  it  reached  us  at  the  top  of  the  mountain. 
Our  winding  course  around  a  beautiful  mountain  valley,  the 
survey 'of  the  lake,  from  which  a  slight  fog  was  just  clearing 
away,  Mont  Blanc  and  its  rugged  neighbourhood,  whence  a 
bright  sun  had  dispersed  every  cloud,  formed  altogether  a 
most  interesting  spectacle. 

From  the  other  side  of  the  mountain  we  looked  down 
into  a  beautiful  and  deep  valley,  of  which  we  made  a  great 
circuit  as  we  descended.  We  crossed  a  less  elevated  ridge 
of  mountains  and  then  passed  through  a  country  but  little 
incommoded  by  hills  or  embellished  by  beautiful  villages. 
We  had  left  Italy  advanced  into  the  full  heat  of  summer, 
but  we  found  the  northern  side  of  the  mountains  with  the 
dress  and  atmosphere  of  early  spring;  yet  it  was  pleasant 
to  look  once  more  upon  trees  which  were  suffered  to  grow  * 
in  their  natural  shapes,  instead  of  being  stripped  of  their 
branches  to  the  tops  or  clipped  into  geometrical  forms. 

On  entering  the  frontier  of  France  we  were  detained  un- 
der the  arches  of  the  custom  house  by  a  rigid  examination 
of  the  contents  of  our  trunks  and  persons,  and  every  little 
musical  box  from  Geneva  wTas  made  to  contribute  to  the 
national  treasury. 

At  Dijon,  the  capital  of  Burgundy,  we  found  four  hours 
detention  tedious  from  the  little  interest  which  the  place 
afforded.  The  public  walks  are  delightful,  but  the  churches 
appeared  poor,  and  two  that  were  once  esteemed  beautiful 


316 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


and  sacred  are  now  used  for  stabling  horses  and  other  mili- 
tary purposes. 

Four  long  days  and  three  tedious  nights,  in  a  heavy  di- 
ligence, creeping  up  every  ascent  and  rolling  along  perhaps 
the  least  interesting  road  in  France,  which  presented  nei- 
ther prospect  of  landscape  nor  beauty  of  village,  at  last 
brought  us  to  the  vicinity  of  Paris;  which  was  evident  by 
the  neatness  and  elegance  of  the  buildings,  and  the  taste  in 
the  gardens  and  groves.  The  Seine  was  covered  with  rafts 
of  fire  wood  and  wine  barrels,  and  boats  loaded  with  better 
wood  and  better  wine  and  other  merchandises,  which  were 
also  spread  out  in  piles  and  rows  upon  the  shores:  the  whole 
presenting  a  picture  of  business  beyond  any  thing  we  had 
seen  in  Italy. 


Paris,  June  5th. 

In  a  city  of  such  vast  extent  and  interest  as  this,  repeated 
visits  are  necessary  to  form  a  just  idea  of  it.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  the  wonderfully  clean  streets  of  Venice,  where 
there  is  neither  dust  nor  mud,  the  level  pavements  of  Flo- 
rence, and  the  covered  foot-ways  of  Bologna,  the  cities  of 
Italy  are  in  general  so  dirty  and  incommodious,  that  to  re- 
turn to  the  noble  quays  of  Paris,  the  Boulevards,  the  Gar- 
dens of  the  Luxembourg,  Tuileries  and  Palais  Royal,  gave 
us  increased  enjoyment.  The  splendour  of  the  shops,  the 
gaiety,  cleanliness  and  animation  of  the  multitude  of  all  na- 
tions, were  never  failing  sources  of  wonder  and  amusement. 

It  was  now  a  better  season  for  visiting  the  public  institu- 
tions, although  daily  showers  of  rain,  during  the  whole 
month  of  June,  kept  the  streets  continually  muddy.  From 
these  it  was  a  great  relief  to  get  into  the  elegant  covered 
galleries,  passages  and  arcades,  or  on  the  fine  gravel  walks  of 
the  gardens,  or,  above  all,  on  the  dry  walnut  floors  of  the  mag- 
nificent museums. 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


317 


I  was  curious  to  ascertain  what  effect  the  Royal  Gallery 
of  the  Louvre  would  produce  on  my  judgment,  after  the 
course  I  had  made  through  Italy.  I  found  the  specimens  of 
the  Italian  painters  had  sunk  a  little  in  my  estimation,  as  they 
might  be  compared  with  the  best  works  in  the  galleries  I  had 
visited;  but  I  was  better  pleased  with  many  of  the  produc- 
tions of  the  old  French  school  than  I  had  been ;  especially 
with  those  of  Poussin,  Subleyras  and  Vernet. 

In  addition  to  the  gallery  of  paintings  and  halls  of  antique 
statues,  an  extensive  series  of  elegant  rooms  in  the  Louvre  is 
now  nearly  finished,  with  a  display  of  choice  and  valuable  an- 
tiquities. The  ceilings  are  splendidly  decorated  with  paint- 
ings by  the  best  Parisian  artists,  and  the  costly  cabinets,  be- 
neath large  sheets  of  plate  glass,  set  in  brass,  contain  select 
specimens  of  articles  of  curiosity  found  in  Pompeii  and  Her- 
culaneum,  and  from  Egypt,  besides  porcelain  vases  -and  pre- 
cious stones.  This  is  called  the  Museum  of  Charles  X.  An- 
other set  of  rooms  was  to  be  fitted  up  as  the  Museum  of  the 
Dauphin,  which  are  now  merely  stored  with  a  curious  and 
interesting  collection  of  models  of  ships,  guns  and  military 
engines,  Indian  curiosities  and  the  pictures  of  the  sea-ports 
of  France,  by  Vernet,  which  had  disappeared  from  the  Lux- 
embourg Gallery. 

I  visited  the  Garden  of  Plants  with  renewed  pleasure, 
and  found  its  Museum  of  Natural  History  enriched  with  vast 
additions  in  the  course  of  twenty  years,  especially  in  the  de- 
partment most  interesting  to  Cuvier,  comparative  anatomy. 
But  the  splendid  collection  of  insects,  comprising  specimens 
from  all  parts  of  the  world,  had  all  disappeared — demolished 
by  dermestes,  against  whose  ravages  no  effective  measures 
have  been  taken;  and  the  stuffed  animals,  although  increased 
in  number,  exhibit  no  improvement  in  the  style  of  preserva- 
tion as  practised  twenty  years  ago.  In  this  respect  the  Phi-  9 
ladelphia  Museum,  with  the  skill  and  taste  of  my  brother 
Titian  Peale,  has  greatly  the  advantage;  the  insects,  being 
perfectly  preserved  between  perpendicular  plates  of  glass,  in- 
accessible to  the  dermestes,  are  seen  on  both  sides;  and  the 


318 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


quadrupeds  and  birds,  preserved  with  the  knowledge  of  an 
artist  in  drawing,  modeling  and  anatomy,  by  a  method  im- 
proved upon  Watterton's,  possess  all  the  beauty  and  charac- 
ter of  the  living  animals. 

Baron  Cuvier  himself  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  ob- 
jects in  this  garden  of  the  sciences.  I  had  formerly  painted 
his  portrait,  thin  and  pale,  bearing  Napoleon's  single  badge, 
the  legion  of  honour.  He  sat  to  me  now,  again,  his  legion- 
ary star  lost  in  a  brighter  blaze  of  honours,  and  his  coun- 
tenance fresh  with  the  best  health  of  prosperous  old  age.  I 
felt  it  an  honour  again  to  be  invited  to  his  table,  and  to  enjoy 
the  charms  of  his  domestic  circle  and  the  distinguished  visit- 
ers who  frequent  his  Saturday  evening  soirees.  Here  I 
learned  that  the  exhibition  of  the  Royal  Academy  at  London, 
and  of  the  assembled  works  of  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  in  the 
British  institution,  were  to  be  continued  longer  than  usual; 
and  the  intelligence  influenced  my  decision  to  hasten  my  de- 
parture for  London. 

The  royal  establishment  of  Sevres,  a  few  miles  below  Pa- 
ris, is  one  of  the  most  perfect  for  the  manufacture  of  white 
porcelain;  but  for  its  productions  in  painted  work  surpasses 
all  others.  A  note  from  Mr.  Warden  renewed  my  aqcuaint- 
ance  with  the  director  of  this  establishment,  the  celebrated 
Brogniart,  whose  chemical  discoveries  have  greatly  improved 
the  arts  of  enamel  and  porcelain  painting.  To  his  politeness 
I  was  indebted  for  an  explanation  of  every  process.  The 
visiter  is  conducted  through  various  apartments  where  the 
finely  prepared  cjay  is  turned  into  shape,  suffered  to  become 
nearly  dry,  and  then  turned  again  and  cut  with  the  greatest 
accuracy  into  the  most  elegant  forms.  It  is  curious  to  see 
cups,  vases,  busts  and  little  statues  still  retaining  their  just  re- 
lative proportions  after  having  shrunk  in  baking  one-eighth  of 
their  size.  The  first  operation  after  baking  is  the  gilding;  the 
gold,  which  resembles  brown  paint,  being  put  on  with  a  hair 
pencil.  It  is  then  again  baked,  each  article  being  placed  in 
a  muffle  or  box  of  baked  clay.  The  plates,  dishes,  vases  or 
pictures  are  now  ready  to  receive  the  labours  of  the  artist, 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


319 


who  applies  his  colours  in  the  manner  of  oil  paints,  except 
that  the  work  is  held  horizontally,  as  the  pigments  are  used 
very  liquid  ;  being  put  on  in  dots  or  stipples  which  do  not  ad- 
mit of  retouching  until  baked.  The  piece  is  now  subjected 
to  a  third  heating,  after  which  it  receives  an  additional  charge 
of  paint,  to  deepen  and  enrich  the  colours  and  shading,  and, 
being  heated  the  fourth  time,  is  sometimes  retouched  and  again 
heated;  but  each  of  these  heatings  is  somewhat  critical, 
though  the  degree  of  heat  is  diminished  each  time. 

Several  rooms  are  appropriated  to  the  display  of  an  exten- 
sive collection  of  pottery  and  porcelains  of  all  ages  and  coun- 
tries, terminating  with  specimens  of  the  course  of  improve- 
ments in  the  French  manufactory.  A  large  hall  is  filled  with 
the  most  perfect  and  splendid  patterns  of  the  Sevres  esta- 
blishment. The  exquisite  work  lavished  on  plates,  dishes, 
cups  and  saucers,  excited  a  regret  that  so  much  fine  art  should 
be  wasted  on  such  toys;  and  even  the  vases  appeared  unjust- 
ly to  possess  on  their  circular  surfaces  exquisite  pictures  that 
should  be  flat.  Flowers,  shells  and  arabesque  ornaments  ap- 
pear most  proper  for  such  objects. 

The  most  extraordinary  and  beautiful  works  of  the  artists 
of  Sevres  are  in  pictures,  executed  on  flat  porcelain  tablets, 
the  largest  of  which,  between  three  and  four  feet  long,  is  a 
beautiful  copy  of  Gerard's  picture  of  Henry  IV's.  entry  into 
Paris.  The  price  of  this  picture,  elegantly  framed,  is  forty 
thousand  francs,  about  eight  thousand  dollars.  A  copy  of 
Raphael's  Madonna  del  Gran  Duca,  at  Florence,  costs 
twenty-two  thousand  francs;  besides  various  other  pieces, 
such  as  Gerard's  C lipid  and  Psyche,  landscapes,  flowers, 
&c.  But  the  most  beautiful  and  perfect  work  of  the  art,  in 
my  opinion,  is  the  portrait  of  Richardo,  copied  of  the  full 
size  from  a  painting  by  Rubens.  This  is  like  the  most  ex- 
quisite enamel. 

The  season  was  now  advantageous  for  visiting  the  burial- 
grounds  of  Fere  la  Chaise  and  Montmartre,  just  without 
the  walls,  both  situated  on  rising  ground.  That  of  Pere.la 
Chaise,  although  but  recently  established,  contains  a  vast  num- 


320 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


ber  of  monuments,  some  of  which  are  very  costly,  and  ex- 
tremely diversified  in  their  architecture,  sculpture  and  bo- 
tanic decorations.  These  elegantly  laid  out  gravel  walks  and 
plantations  of  trees,  shrubbery  and  flowers,  intermingled  with 
the  most  picturesque  mausoleums,  obelisks,  columns  and  tombs 
are  much  frequented,  not  only  by  the  mourner  who  comes  to 
hang  a  fresh  chaplet  of  flowers  over  the  grave  of  some  rela- 
tion or  friend,  but  by  the  gay  and  careless.  Although  the  go- 
vernment refused  to  suffer  the  body  of  David  the  painter,  who 
died  in  exile  at  Brussels,  to  be  interred  here,  yet  his  friends 
have  erected  a  handsome  monument  to  his  genius. 

The  cemetery  of  Montmartre,  though  seldom  mentioned  in 
competition  with  the  more  fashionable  Pere  la  Chaise,  is,  ne- 
vertheless, more  picturesque  and  romantic,  in  consequence  of 
the  greater  age  of  its  trees  and  the  irregularity  of  its  grounds. 
Some  of  the  oldest  tombs  have  been  so  long. neglected  as. to 
be  almost  lost  in  the  thickets  of  the  little  valleys.  All  about 
the  entrances  to  these  gardens  of  the  dead,  are  to  be  seen 
stone-cutters  whose  shops  display  a  variety  of  tomb-stones, 
and  the  passages  to  the  gates  look  gay  with  wreaths  and  chap- 
lets  of  flowers  which  are  sold  by  women  and  children  for  the 
decoration  of  tombs. 

It  was  impossible  to  think  of  leaving  Paris  without  sensa- 
tions of  regret.  A  political  storm  was  rising  which  had  not 
yet  affected  the  enjoyment  of  any  of  the  sources  of  amuse- 
ment or  study.  The  readers  of  the  journals  were  confound- 
ed by  the  obstinacy  of  the  king  and  his  ministers.  The  new 
members  of  the  legislative  body  were  arriving,  re-enforced  in 
patriotic  principles,  and  Lafayette  was  'expected  every  day. 
I  hesitated  whether  I  should  not  stay  a  little  longer,  and  take 
his  hand  probably  for  the  last  time;  but  the  season  hurried 
me  away  and  saved  me  from  the  sight  of  the  horrors  which 
soon  followed.  At  a  distance  from  the  commotion  and  blood- 
shed, I  could  duly  appreciate  the  merits  of  a  glorious  revo- 
lution. 

Permission  being  obtained  from  the  police  office  to  quit 
France,  I  was  soon  on  the  road ;  but,  after  leaving  Paris, 


NOTES  ON  ITALY* 


321 


saw  little  to  arouse  my  attention  in  passing  through  Bcauvais 
and  Abbeville,  till  we  arrived  at  Boulogne,  delightfully  situ- 
ated on  the  coast,  possessing  all  the  neatness  and  beauty  of 
an  English  settlement.  Besides  the  numerous  English  resi- 
dents, most  of  the  inhabitants  speak  the  language  of  those  who 
come  here  to  economise  by  living  luxuriously  at  a  cheaper 
rate  than  the  taxations  of  England  will  permit.  Night  spread 
her  veil  to  prevent  any  examination  of  the  town  beyond  the 
inn  which  afforded  us  refreshment;  the  gate  out  of  which  we 
passed  to  the  quays  where  lie  the  shipping;  and  the  long  pier 
aside  of  which  we  found  the  little  steam-boat  that  was  to  con- 
vey fifty  or  sixty  passengers,  five  carriages  and  ten  horses  at 
midnight  across  the  British  channel. 

The  morning  found  us  entering  the  broad  mouth  of  the  ri- 
ver Thames,  concentrating  the  courses  of  numerous  vessels 
arriving  and  departing.  We  rapidly  passed  Gravesend,  to 
which  steam-boats  were  conveying  crowds  of  Londoners; 
Woolwich,  remarkable  by  its  floating  hulks  and  extensive 
ship-yards;  and  Greenwich,  with  its  elegant  hospital.  I  had 
been  on  this  river  twenty-seven  years  before,  when  it  was  co- 
vered by  an  amazing  forest  of  masts;  but  now,  although  many 
miscellaneous  vessels  are  spread  over  its  surface,  its  immense 
fleets  of  East  and  West  Indiamen  float  retired  in  the  commo- 
dious docks  which  have  borrowed  many  acres  from  the  land, 
and  are  screened  by  spacious  warehouses. 

London  seems  to  commence  with  the  tower,  a  castle  which 
was  once  its  protection,  and  a  royal  residence.  Beyond  that, 
presenting  its  noble  front  on  a  broad  terrace  at  the  water's 
edge,  the  custom-house  received  us,  for  the  ceremony  of  an 
examination  of  our  packages,  which  was  accomplished  with 
as  little  delay  and  as  much  politeness  as  could  be  desired. 
Here  the  stranger  who  possesses  no  directions  on  which  he 
can  rely,  experiences  some  inconvenience  in  deciding  to  what 
hotel  his  baggage  is  to  be  conveyed ;  but  they  all  vie  with 
each  other  in  the  perfection  of  the  accommodation  which  they 
afford  and  the  extravagance  of  their  charges;  till  the  visiter 

41 


/ 


322  NOTES  ON  ITALY. 

may  suit  himself  with  furnished  apartments  in  whatever  part 
of  the  city  he  chooses  to  reside,  either  to  economise  in  great 
comfort  or  luxuriate  in  expensive  style. 


London,  July  6th. 

The  atmosphere  in  the  busiest  parts  of  London  is  loaded 
with  the  smoke  of  bituminous  coal,  which  provokes  the  unac- 
customed throat  to  frequent  fits  of  coughing;  but  the  feet  en- 
joy the  comfort  of  a  smooth  side  path  in  every  street,  and  the 
protection  of  a  curb-stone  against  the  rude  rights  of  cart  and 
carriage.  The  dark  brown  brick  houses  remind  one  of  New 
York ;  but  the  bustle  in  the  great  thoroughfares  far  exceeds 
that  of  Broadway.  It  commences  with  day-light,  increases 
like  a  tide  to  its  height  at  noon,  and  slowly  subsides  at  the  ap- 
proach of  midnight,  after  the  disgorgement  of  the  numerous 
theatres. 

Although  the  dusky  Cathedral  of  St.  Paul's  suffers  by 
a  comparison  with  the  splendid  Temple  of  St.  Peter's  at 
Rome,  it  remains  a  truly  elegant  mass  of  building,  and  is  pos* 
sessed  of  much  external  beauty  and  character  of  design.  Af- 
ter being  accustomed  to  the  rich  decorations  of  Italian 
churches,  the  interior  appeared  naked  and  desolate ;  yet  a 
few  monumental  statues,  of  moderate  merit  and  recent  intro- 
duction, serve  to  diversify  the  monotony  of  the  cold  white 
walls.  I  had  seen  it  to  greater  advantage,  when  ten  thou- 
sand charity  children,  amphitheatrically  arranged  under  the 
dome,  united  in  one  angelic  strain  of  devotional  psalmody,  in 
the  presence  of  many  thousand  spectators,  who,  in  entering, 
had  added  their  gold  and  silver  to  the  heaping  plates  before 
which  they  passed. 

The  buildings  which  were  formerly  the  boast  of  London 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


3<23 


are  now  blackened  with  smoke  and  generally  in  a  heavy  style, 
which  appears  the  more  so  when  contrasted  with  the  mo- 
dern edifices  of  better  taste  and  brighter  materials,  such  as 
the  palace  for  the  accommodation  of  the  Post-office.  The 
greatest  improvements  by  which  London  astonishes  the 
visiter  after  an  absence  of  twenty-seven  years,  are  in  the 
Vast  amount  of  buildings  and  ornamented  squares  erected 
in  the  place  of  green  fields,  and  the  improvements  effected 
in  opening  and  widening  many  streets.  Regent  Street, 
lined  with  splendid  shops  and  dwellings  like  palaces, 
including  its  circular  sweep  of  fluted  cast-iron  columns, 
and  connecting  St.  James's  Park  with  the  Regent's  Park 
encircled  with  splendid  mansions,  is  altogether  perhaps 
unequalled.  While  these  improvements  have  been  making, 
London  has  increased  in  population  from  twelve  hundred 
to  fifteen  hundred  thousand  inhabitants.  Additional  bridges 
have  been  erected  across  the  Thames,  and  coaches  constant- 
ly plying  between  all  the  neighbouring  villages,  effectually 
unite  them  with  London,  the  queen  of  cities! 

In  arriving  at  the  Custom-house  we  had  sailed  over  the 
Tunnel,  which  is  half  finished,  intended  to  connect  the  two 
sides  of  the  river  where  the  navigation  will  not  permit  a 
bridge.  The  work  being  suspended  for  want  of  funds,  the 
expense  of  its  preservation  is  secured  by  admission  money 
received  from  visiters.  An  easy  stairway  conducted  us  to 
the  bottom  of  the  great  well  or  shaft  from  which  the  tunnel 
commences.  A  steam-engine,  continually  at  work,  pumps 
up  the  water  which  leaks  through  the  masonry  and  would 
otherwise  overflow  the  subaqueous  road.  It  is  in  fact  a 
double  tunnel,  of  eliptical  form,  connected  by  arches,  which 
separate  two  nearly  level  roads,  only  one  of  which  is 
finished  and  lighted  with  gas,  producing  a  singular  and  beau- 
tiful effect.  This  road  is  finished  as  intended  for  the  pas- 
sage of  carriages,  and  a  raised  pavement  of  flag  stones,  next 
the  central  division,  conveniently  accommodates  two  per- 
sons abreast.  The  portion  which  is  finished  appears  so  sub- 
stantial that  it  dissipates  all  doubt  of  its  competency  to  an- 


324 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


swer  the  purpose  intended.  I  could  not  learn  whether 
there  was  any  probability  of  money  being  obtained  to  com- 
plete this  extraordinary  enterprise. 

It  is  impossible  to  form  a  just  idea  of  the  state  of  the  arts 
in  London  without  visiting  the  annual  display  at  Somerset 
House,  and  other  simultaneous  exhibitions.  Complaints,  as 
usual,  were  made  that  historical  compositions  constituted  too 
small  a  proportion;  and  indeed  serious  history  is  but  little 
patronised  in  England;  but  pleasant  domestic  scenes,  such 
as  come  from  the  fancy  and  pencils  of  Wilkie,  Leslie  and 
Newton,  are  always  received  with  interest  and  well  re- 
warded. Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  being  only  recently  dead, 
the  saloon  contained  a  few  of  his  elegant  portraits;  but  the 
public  judgment  seemed  divided  between  the  rival  claims 
of  Jackson  and  Phillips  as  his  successor.  Jackson  is  pre- 
ferred for  the  delineation  of  character,  and  Phillips  for  the 
richness  and  beauty  of  his  colouring.  Wilkie  has  sur- 
prised his  friends  by  his  bold  and  rich  execution  of  por- 
traits in  large,  but  time  must  be  allowed  him  for  a  more  ef- 
ficient demonstration;  meanwhile  his  works  of  imagination 
are  assuming  a  more  imposing  aspect;  the  subject  on  which 
he  is  now  engaged  being  the  preaching  of  John  Knox. 

In  possessing  the  advantages  of  visiting  this  and  many 
other  artists  and  galleries  of  pictures,  out  of  the  regular  sea- 
son, I  was  indebted  to  the  politeness  of  Mr.  Leslie,  who  is 
not  less  distinguished  for  his  talents  as  an  artist  than  he  is 
esteemed  for  his  moral  excellence  and  urbanity.  His  last 
picture,  the  Dinner  at  Pagers  House,  was  not  finished  in 
time  for  this  year's  exhibition.  He  has  embodied  the  cha- 
racters of  Shakspeare's  pen  in  such  appropriate  forms  and 
individuality  of  expression  that  they  must  remain  no  longer 
a  fiction.  His  picture  of  Sancho  Panza  relating  his  ad- 
ventures to  the  Duchess,  which  is  one  of  the  most  delicate 
in  its  humour,  elegant  in  its  composition  and  splendid  in 
its  colour,  is  now  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Humphreys,  who  is 
engraving  a  large  plate  of  it. 

It  was  one  of  the  greatest  treats  the  lovers  of  the  fine 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


325 


arts  enjoyed,  when,  soon  after  the  death  of  Reynolds,  the 
gentlemen  who  nobly  manage  the  British  institution,  co- 
vered their  walls  entirely  with  a  choice  selection  of  his 
works.  A  similar  conduct  was  supposed  to  be  due  to  the 
reputation  of  the  late  president  of  the  Royal  Academy,  and 
the  pictures  of  the  elegant  Lawrence,  perhaps  too  hastily 
collected,  attracted  crowds  of  admirers,  and  produced  for 
the  benefit  of  his  family  about  two  thousand  pounds,  nearly 
one-third  of  the  amount  received  at  the  Royal  Academy  by 
this  year's  exhibition. 

On  the  death  of  Lawrence,  the  Royal  Academicians,  in 
electing  Sir  Martin  Archer  Shee  as  their  president,  were 
doubtfully  influenced  by  his  talents  as  an  artist,  but  were 
almost  unanimous  in  preferring  one  so  accomplished  as  a 
scholar  and  so  conciliating  in  his  manners.  His  poems  and 
notes  on  painting  have  done  much  to  establish  the  fine  arts 
in  the  minds,  hearts  and  mansions  of  his  countrymen.  In 
a  long  conversation  with  him  in  his  painting  room,  some 
beautiful  portraits  serving  as  a  back-ground,  I  was  much 
pleased  with  his  frankness  and  modesty. 

Sir  William  Beechy,  who  has  recently  received  the  ho- 
nourable appointment  of  painter  to  the  king,  appeared  to 
be  restored  to  new  life,  and  probably  to  improved  energies. 
He  was  less  disposed  to  talk  with  me  on  the  excellent  por- 
traits which  I  saw  in  his  room,  than  on  the  subject  of  Ame- 
rican artists,  and  related  several  characteristic  anecdotes  of 
our  eccentric  Stuart. 

1  found  Mr.  Chantry  in  his  spacious  apartments,  afforded 
by  the  ample  precincts  of  Pimlico,  surrounded  by  a  host  of 
fine  busts,  statues  and  subordinate  workmen.  A  cast  of  his 
Washington  stands  near  the  middle  of  his  principal  sky- 
lighted room.  His  chief  attention  now  appears  to  be  di- 
rected to  the  execution  of  bronze  statuary,  which  he  has 
brought  to  great  excellence.  He  finds  little  difficulty  in 
casting  a  colossal  statue,  and  I  have  examined  with  surprise 
the  unity  and  perfection  of  the  metal.  My  visit  concluded 
with  a  survey  of  his  elegant  foundry  and  well  contrived 


326 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


furnaces.  Desiring  me  to  follow  his  example  in  putting  on 
a  pair  of  wooden  over-shoes,  he  led  me  into  a  chamber 
where  his  clay  moulds  for  casting  were  baking.  The  iron 
doors  were  closed  and  bolted  upon  us.  From  every  pore 
of  our  skins  the  perspiration  immediately  started,  the  con- 
stant evaporation  of  which  prevented  any  sensation  of  ex- 
traordinary heat,  except  on  touching  our  clothes  and  metal 
buttons.  After  a  few  minutes,  when  the  doors  were  opened, 
Mr.  Chantry  showed  me  that  the  thermometer  stood  at  two 
hundred  and  ninety  degrees,  and  assured  me  that  his  man 
had  often  been  in  with  the  heat  of  four  hundred  degrees. 

The  venerable  Northcote,  whose  unsold  labours,  picture 
against  picture,  scarce  left  him  room  to  move  or  receive  a 
visiter,  was  himself  one  of  the  most  interesting  pictures  I 
have  seen;  and  his  animated  conversation  on  art  and  the 
artists  of  past  times,  almost  compensated  for  the  defects  of 
his  impaired  vision.  His  mind's  eye,  however,  was  bright 
as  ever,  and  it  delighted  in  retracing  the  merits  of  his  mas- 
ter Reynolds. 

Besides  the  exhibition  at  Somerset  house,  which  com- 
prises a  variety  of  paintings  in  oil  and  in  water  colours, 
miniatures,  architectural  elevations,  engravings  and  statu- 
ary, artists  are  farther  accommodated  with  the  opportunity 
of  an  annual  exposition  of  their  works  in  the  elegant  rooms 
of  the  Society  of British  Artists  in  Suffolk  street,  which  con- 
tain some  excellent  landscapes  in  oil  and  water  colour  paint- 
ings. The  Exhibition  of  the  Water  Colour  Society  was 
spoken  of  with  the  greatest  approbation.  It  was  closed, 
but  I  saw  some  of  the  best  pieces  which  had  been  in  the 
exhibition.  This  is  a  style  of  painting  peculiar  to  Eng- 
land, and  but  recently  brought  to  extraordinary  perfection, 
uniting  much  of  the  richness  of  oil  painting  with  a  superior 
airiness  and  variety  of  colour. 

The  National  Gallery,  a  mere  beginning,  and  imperfectly 
accommodated,  possesses  some  valuable  pictures  of  the  old 
masters.  The  landscapes  by  Claude  Lorraine,  though  al- 
ways elegant  in  composition,  offend  me  by  their  weight  of 


NOTES  ON  ITALY. 


327 


foliage;  but  his  sea  ports  here,  as  at  Rome  and  Florence, 
possess  all  his  magic  glow  of  colour.  Rembrandt's  little 
picture  of  the  Woman  taken  in  Adultery,  which  cost 
five  thousand  guineas,  is  esteemed  as  one  of  his  most  highly 
finished  works,  but  is  of  colder  colouring  than  usual.  Here 
is  one  of  the  finest  heads  by  Vandyck,  the  portrait  of  Ge- 
vartius,  and  several  charming  pictures  by  Wilkie.  West's 
first  picture  of  Christ  healing  the  Sick  and  Lame,  des- 
tined for  the  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  but  purchased  by  the 
British  Institution  for  three  thousand  guineas,  appears  to  me 
inferior  to  the  repetition  of  the  same  subject  which  is  in 
Philadelphia,, 

The  Duhuich  Gallery,  about  five  miles  out  of  London, 
is  a  choice  collection  of  pictures;  among  which  the  glowing 
landscapes  of  Cuyp  are  chiefly  to  be  distinguished. 

The  private  galleries  of  the  Marquis  of  Stafford,  and  of 
Earl  Grosvenor,  which  have  cost  immense  sums  in  their  pur- 
chase, and  are  displayed  in  noble  suits  of  apartments,  comprise, 
especially  The  Stafford  Gallery,  most  interesting  and  valu- 
able pictures,  which  are  liberally  open  to  artists  and  persons 
of  taste  at  stated  times. 

At  Lord  Egremont's,  at  Mr.  S.  Rogers's,  and  at  his  bro- 
ther's, there  are  some  excellent  pictures  by  ancient  and  mo- 
dern artists.  A  longer  residence  in  London,  and  at  a  more 
favourable  season,  would  have  made  me  acquainted  with 
many  other  valuable  cabinets,  such  as  those  of  Mr.  Hope, 
Mr.  Baring,  &c.  In  these  private  collections,  England  pos- 
sesses a  great  number  of  the  finest  pictures  of  the  best 
masters,  purchased  out  of  foreign  galleries,  or  brought  here 
by  dealers  who  were  certain  of  the  most  liberal  remuneration. 
By  means  of  such  selected  examples  of  art,  influencing  both 
artists  and  patrons,  the  knowledge  of  painting  in  England  is 
divested  of  injurious  local  prejudices,  characterised  at  once 
by  good  taste  and  good  sense;  and  steadily  advancing  to  the 
highest  perfection. 

I  could  not  take  leave  of  London  without  visiting  West- 
minster Abbey,  whose  style  of  Gothic  aschitecture  pos- 


328 


NOTES  ON  TTALY. 


sesses  an  elegance  and  charm  beyond  any  thing  1  had  seen  in 
France  or  Italy  that  bore  the  name  of  Gothic.  Besides  this, 
the  number  of  monuments  of  distinguished  persons  who  are 
buried  within  its  walls,  render  it  peculiarly  interesting. 
These  occupy  the  whole  circuit  of  its  vast  circumference, 
so  as  not  to  allow  room  for  any  more.  Hence  the  necessity 
of  erecting  such  memorials  of  great  men  elsewhere.  Lord 
Nelson  was  the  first  in  the  new  series,  and  the  last  is  Sir 
Thomas  Lawrence,  who  lies  beside  Mr.  West,  and  Sir 
Joshua  Reynolds,  in  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Paul's. 

By  deciding  to  return  home  in  one  of  the  London  packets, 
I  had  an  opportunity  to  see  Portsmouth,  to  which  the  ship 
proceeded  for  the  purpose  of  taking  in  her  last  provisions 
and  passengers.  Old  as  is  this  sea-port,  we  found  no  wharf 
at  which  to  land,  being  obliged  to  get  out  of  our  broker's 
tender  into  a  row-boat,  and  land  on  the  gravelly  beach,  as  in 
a  new  country.  Portsmouth  is  little  else  than  a  harbour  for 
vessels  of  war,  which  float  in  safety  in  a  noble  inland  basin, 
well  protected  next  the  water,  and  surrounded  by  sufficient 
fortifications,  which  afford  delightful  promenades;  yet  it  is 
not  without  some  good  dwelling  houses  and  well  appointed 
stores,  although  they  are  chiefly  such  as  are  necessary  in  fur- 
nishing ships. 

The  good  ship  Hannibal  bore  me  safely  across  the  wide 
Atlantic,  and  the  skill  and  politeness  of  her  captain  divested 
a  long  passage  of  much  of  its  tediousness,  especially  to  such 
of  us  as  were  anxious  to  reach  home.  After  an  absence  of 
nearly  two  years,  I  arrived  at  New  York  on  the  last  of  Sep- 
tember, 1830. 

THE  END. 


CABINET  CYCLOPAEDIA 


CAREY  <S-  LEA 

H.H  VE  IN  PREPARATION 

A  SERIES  OF 

VAL.UABL.E  WORKS, 

BY  THE  MOST 

DISTINGUISHED  WRITERS  OF  THE  PRESENT  DAY, 

Which  when  finished  will  constitute  a  complete 

CABINET  CYCLOPAEDIA. 

They  will  be  published  in  distinct  collections,  in  order  that 
those  who  may  not  desire  to  purchase  the  whole,  may  possess 
such  parts  as  accord  best  with  their  pursuits. 

The  object  of  the  Cabinet  Cyclopedia  is  to  form  a  syste- 
matic work,  including  within  moderate  and  definite  limits, 
every  subject  of  utility  and  interest  in  the  circle  of  human 
knowledge.  A  proportion  will  be  observed  among  its  several 
divisions,  and  each  subject  will  be  treated,  as  nearly  as  possi- 
ble, with  that  degree  of  detail  to  which  its  general  importance 
and  its  relation  to  the  other  parts  of  the  Cyclopaedia  entitle  it. 
By  this  arrangement  it  is  hoped  that  the  Cabinet  Cyclopaedia 
will  form  a  valuable  library  of  reference,  supplying  all  that  is 
expected  in  a  Cyclopaedia,  while  the  peculiar  plan  of  publica- 
tion will  sustain  a  continued  interest  during  the  progressive 
appearance  of  the  volumes,  and  thus  stimulate  and  gratify  the 
appetite  for  useful  information. 

The  following  will  constitute  the  different  series: — 

I. 

CABINET  OF  HISTORY. 
II. 

CABINET  LIBRARY, 
in. 

CABINET  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY,  12  vols. 
IV. 

CABINET  OF  NATURAL  PHILOSOPHY, 
v. 

CABINET  OF  GEOGRAPHY. 


"  We  advisedly  call  the  Cabinet  Cyclopaedia  a  great  undertaking,  because  we 
consider,  that  in  its  effects  on  the  tone  and  habits  of  thought  of  what  is  known 
by  the  phrase, '  the  reading  public,'  it  will  be,  if  carried  through  in  the  spirit  of 


4 


Cabinet  Cyclopsedia. 


The  following-  are  in  preparation  and  will  speedily  follow: — 
HISTORY  of  ENGLAND.     By  Sir  James  Mackintosh. 
Vol.  II. 

HISTORY  of  IRELAND.  By  Thomas  Moore. 

HISTORY  of  GREECE.  In  3  vols.  By  the  Rev.  C.  Thire- 
wail,  Fellow  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge. 

HISTORIES  of  SPAIN,  PORTUGAL,  GERMANY,  RUS- 
SIA, AMERICA,  8cc.  by  distinguished  authors. 

PRELIMINARY  DISCOURSE  for  the  CABINET  of  HIS- 
TORY. By  Sir  James  Mackintosh. 

CABINET  LIBRARY. 

Among  the  works  in  preparation  for  this  division,  are  the 
following: — 

MILITARY  MEMOIRS  of  FIELD  MARSHAL  the  DUKE 
of  WELLINGTON.  By  Captain  Moyle  Sherer,  in  2  vols. 

LIVES  of  EMINENT  BRITISH  LAWYERS.  By  H.  Ros- 
coe,  Esq. 

CITIES  and  PRINCIPAL  TOWNS  of  the  WORLD,  in  3 
vols. 

LIVES  of  BRITISH  NAVAL  COMMANDERS.  By  R. 
•Socthey,  Esq.  L.  L.  D. 

LIVES  of  the  MOST  EMINENT  LITERARY  MEN  of  all 
NATIONS.  By  Scott,  Southey,  Moore,  Mackintosh,  Mont- 
gomery, Cunningham,  &c. 

LIVES  of  the  MOST  EMINENT  ARTISTS.  By  W.  G. 
Otteey,  Esq.  and  T.  Philips,  R.  A. 

The  FRENCH  REVOLUTION  of  1830.  By  T.  B.  Ma- 
cauley,  Esq.  M.  P. 

CABINET  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY. 

This  portion  will  be  completed  in  Twelve  Volumes,  and 
will  constitute  a  COMPLETE  SYSTEM  of  NATURAL  HIS- 
TORY, by  the  most  eminent  Naturalists  of  the  age,  Fellows 
of  the  Linnxan  and  Zoological  Societies. 

CABINET  OF  NATURAL  PHILOSOPHY. 

The  following  volumes  will  speedily  be  published — 
PRELIMINARY  DISCOURSE  on  the  STUDY  of  NATU- 
RAL PHILOSOPHY.    By  J.  F.  W.  Herschel,  M.  A. 
MECHANICS,  by  Captain  Kater  and  Dr.  Larhner. 
A  TREATISE  on  ASTRONOMY.    By  J.  F.  W.  Herschel. 
A  TREATISE  on  OPTICS.  By  Dr.  Brewster. 
HYDROSTATICS  and  PNEUMATICS.  By  Dr.  Lardner. 


CABINET  OF  GEOGRAPHY* 

To  be  completed  in  Six  Volumes. 


Philadelphia,  February,  1831. 
Just  Published,  by  Carey  Lea, 

And  sold  in  Philadelphia  by  E.  L.  Carey  $■  A.  Hart ;  in  New-York 
by  6?.  $  C.  &  H.  Carvill ;  in  Boston  by  Carter  &  Hendee — in  Charleston 
oy  W.  H.  Berrelt— in  New-Orleans  by  W.  M'Kean;  by  the  principal 
booksellers  throughout  the  Union, 

AND  IN  LONDON,  BY  JOHN  MILLER,  ST.  JAMES'S  STREET. 
VOLUME  5. 
CONTAINING  ABOUT  1,500  ARTICLES, 
( To  be  continued  at  intervals  of  three  months,) 

OF  THE 

ENCYCLOPAEDIA  AMERICANA: 

A 

POPULAR  DICTIONARY 

i  OF 

ARTS,  SCIENCES,  LITERATURE,  HISTORY,  AND  POLITICS, 

BROUGHT  ©OWN  TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME  AND  INCLUDING  A  COPIOUS 
COLLECTION  OF  ORIGINAL  ARTICLE3  IN 

AMERICAN  BIOGRAPHY: 
Gn  the  basis  of  the  Seventh  Edition  of  the  German 

CONVERSATIONS-LEXICON. 

Edited  by  Dr.  FRANCIS  LTEBER, 
Assisted  by  EDWARD  WIGGLESYVORTII,  Esq. 

Tu  be  completed  in  twelve  large  volumes,  octavo,  price  to  subscribers,  bouna 
in  cloth,  two  dollars  and  a  half  each. 

EACH  VOLUME  WILL  CONTAIN  BETWEEN  600  AND  700  PAGES. 


The  Conversation  Lexicon,  of  which  the  seventh  edition  in 
twelve  volumes  has  lately  been  published  in  Germany,  origin- 
ated about  fifteen  years  since.  It  was  intended  to  supply  a  want 
occasioned  by  the  character  of  the  age,  in  which  the  sciences, 
arts,  trades,  and  the  various  forms  of  knowledge  and  of  active 
life,  had  become  so  much  extended  and  diversified,  that  no  in- 
dividual engaged  in  business  could  become  well  acquainted 
with  all  subjects  of  general  interest ;  while  the  wide  diffusion 
of  information  rendered  such  knowledge  essential  to  the  charac- 
ter of  an  accomplished  man.  This  want,  no  existing  works 
were  adequate  to  supply.  Books  treating  of  particular  branch- 
es, such  as  gazetteers,  &c.  were  too  confined  in  character; 
while  voluminous  Encyclopedias  were  too  learned,  scientific' 


2 


ENCYCLOPAEDIA  AMERICANA. 


and  cumbrous,  being  usually  elaborate  treatises,  requiring  much 
study  or  previous  acquaintance  with  the  subject  discussed.  The 
conductors  of  the  Conversation  Lexicon  endeavored  to  select 
from  every  branch  of  knowledge  what  was  necessary  to  a  well- 
informed  mind,  and  to  give  popular  views  of  the  more  abstruse 
branches  of  learning  and  science ;  that  their  readers  might  not 
be  incommoded,  and  deprived  of  pleasure  or  improvement,  by 
ignorance  of  facts  or  expressions  used  in  books  or  conversation. 
Such  a  work  must  obviously  be  of  great  utility  to  every  class  of 
readers.  It  has  been  found  so  much  so  in  Germany,  that  it 
is  met  with  everywhere,  among  the  learned,  the  lawyers,  the 
military,  artists,  merchants,  mechanics,  and  men  of  all  stations. 
The  reader  may  judge  how  well  it  is  adapted  to  its  object, 
from  the  circumstance,  that  though  it  now  consists  of  twelve 
volumes,  seven  editions,  comprising  about  one  hundred  thou- 
sand copies,  have  been  printed  in  less  than  fifteen  years.  It 
has  been  translated  into  the  Swedish,  Danish  and  Dutch  lan- 
guages, and  a  French  translation  is  now  preparing  in  Paris. 

A  great  advantage  of  this  work  is  its  liberal  and  impartial 
character ;  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  a  book  like  the  En- 
cyclopedia Americana  will  be  found  peculiarly  useful  in  this 
country,  where  the  wide  diffusion  of  the  blessings  of  education, 
and  the  constant  intercourse  of  all  classes,  create  a  great  de- 
mand for  general  information. 

In  the  preparation  of  the  work  thus  far,  the  Editors  have 
been  aided  by  many  gentlemen  of  distinguished  ability ;  and  for 
the  continuation,  no  efforts  shall  be  spared  to  secure  the  aid  of 
all  who  can,  in  any  way,  contribute  to  render  it  worthy  of 
patronage. 

The  American  Biography,  which  is  very  extensive,  will  be 
furnished  by  Mr.  Walsh,  who  has  long  paid  particular  atten- 
tion to  that  branch  of  our  literature,  and  from  materials  in  the 
collection  of  which  he  has  been  engaged  for  some  years.  For 
obvious  reasons,  the  notices  of  distinguished  Americans  will  be 
confined  to  deceased  individuals :  the  European  biography  con- 
tains notices  of  all  distinguished  living  characters,  as  well  as 
t  hose  of  past  times. 

The  articles  on  Zoology  have  been  written  expressly  for  the 
present  edition  by  Dr.  John  D.  Godman  ;  those  on  Chemistry 
and  Mineralogy,  by  a  gentleman  deeply  versed  in  those  de- 
partments of  science. 

In  relation  to  the  Fine  Arts,  the  work  will  be  exceedingly 
rich.  Great  attention  was  given  to  this  in  the  German  work, 
and  the  Editors  have  been  anxious  to  render  it,  by  the  necessary 
additions,  as  perfect  as  possible. 

To  gentlemen  of  the  Bar,  the  work  will  be  peculiarly  valua- 
ble, as  in  cases  where  legal  subjects  are  treated,  an  account  is 


ENCYCLOPAEDIA  AMERICANA. 


3 


given  of  the  provisions  of  American,  English,  French,  Prussian, 
Austrian,  and  Civil  Law. 

The  Publishers  believe  it  will  be  admitted,  that  this  work  is 
one  of  the  cheapest  ever  published  in  this  country.  They  have 
been  desirous  to  render  it  worthy  of  a  place  in  the  best  libraries, 
while  at  the  same  time  they  have  fixed  the  price  so  low  as  to 
put  it  within  the  reach  of  all  who  read. 


Those  who  can,  by  any  honest  modes  of  economy,  reserve  the  sum  of  two 
doliars  and  fifty  cents  quarterly,  from  their  family  expenses,  may  pay  for  this 
work  as  fast  as  it  is  published  ;  and  wc  confidently  believe  that  they  will  find 
at  the  end  that  they  never  purchased  so  much  general,  practical,  useful  infor- 
mation at  so  cheap  a  rate. — Journal  of  Education. 

If  the  encouragement  to  the  publishers  should  correspond  with  the  testimony 
in  favor  of  their  enterprise,  and  the  beautiful  and  faithful  style  of  its  execu- 
tion, the  hazard  or  Hie  undei  taking,  Doid  as  it  was,  will  be  well  compensated  ; 
and  our  libraries  will  be  enriched  by  the  most  generally  useful  encyclopedic 
dictionary  that  has  been  offered  to  the  readers  of  the  English  language.  Full 
enough  for  the  general  scholar,  and  plain  enough  for  every  capacity,  it  is  far 
more  convenient,  in  every  view  and  form,  than  its  more  expensive  and  ponder- 
ous predecessors — American  Farmer. 

The  high  reputation  of  the  contributors  to  this  work,  will  not  fail  to  insure 
it  a  favorable  reception,  and  its  own  merits  will  do  the  rest. — Silliman's  Joum. 

The  work  will  be  a  valuable  possession  to  every  family  or  individual  that 
can  afford  to  purchase  it ;  and  we  take  pleasure,  therefore,  in  extending  tl~9 
knowledge  of  its  merits. — National  Intelligencer. 

The  Encyclopaedia  Americana  is  a  prodigious  improvement  upon  all  that 
has  gone  before  it;  a  thing  for  our  country,  as  well  as  the  country  that  gave 
it  birth,  to  be  proud  of;  an  inexhaustible  treasury  of  useful,  pleasant  and  fa- 
miliar learning  on  every  possible  subject,  so  arranged  as  to  be  speedily  and 
safely  referred  to  on  emergency,  as  well  as  on  deliberate  inquiry ;  and  better 
still,  adapted  to  the  understanding,  and  put  within  the  reach  of  the  multitude. 
*  *  *  The  Encyclopaedia  Americana  is  a  work  without  which  no  library 
worthy  of  the  name  can  hereafter  be  made  up. — Yankee. 

The  copious  information  which,  if  a  just  idea  of  the  whole  may  be  formed 
from  the  first  volume,  this  work  affords  on  American  subjects,  fully  justifies 
its  title  of  an  American  Dictionary;  while  at  the  same  time  the  extent,  varie- 
ty, and  felicitous  disposition  of  its  topics,  make  it  the  most  convenient  and 
satisfactory  Encyclopaedia  that  we  have  ever  seen. — National  Journal. 

If  the  succeeding  volumes  shall  equal  in  merit  the  one  before  us,  we  may 
confidently  anticipate  for  the  work  a  reputation  and  usefulness  which  ought 
to  secure  for  it  the  most  flattering  encouragement  and  patronage. — Federal 
Gazette. 

The  variety  of  topics  is  of  course  vast,  and  they  are  treated  in  a  manner 
which  is  at  once  so  full  of  information  and  so  interesting,  that  the  work,  in- 
stead of  being  merely  referred  to,  might  be  regularly  perused  with  as  much 
pleasure  as  profit. — Baltimore  American. 

We  view  it  as  a  publication  worthy  of  the  age  and  of  the  country,  and  can- 
not but  believe  the  discrimination  of  our  countrymen  will  sustain  the  publish- 
ers, and  well  reward  them  for  this  contribution  to  American  Literature.— 
Baltimore  Patriot. 

We  cannot  doubt  that  the  succeeding  volumes  will  equal  the  first,  and  we 
hence  warmly  recommend  the  work  to  the  patronage  of  the  public,  as  being  by 
far  the  best  work  of  the  kind  ever  offered  for  sale  in  this  country. —  XJ.  S.  Oaz. 

It  reflects  the  greatest  credit  on  those  who  have  been  concerned  in  its  pro- 
duction, and  promises,  in  a  variety  of  respects,  to  be  the  best  as  well  as  the 
most  compendious  dictionary  of  the  arts,  sciences,  history,  politics,  biography, 
&c.  which  has  yet  been  compiled.  The  style  of  the  portion  we  have  read 
is  terse  and  perspicuous ;  and  it  is  really  curious  how  so  much  scientific  and 
other  information  could  have  been  so  satisfactorily  communicated  in  such  brief 
limits. — JV.  Y.  Evening  Post. 

A  compendious  library,  and  invaluable  book  of  reference. — JV.  Y.  Americans 


4 


ENCYCLOPAEDIA  AMERICANA. 


This  cannot  but  prove  a  valuable  addition  to  the  literature  of  the  age.— Mer 
advertiser. 

The  appearance  of  the  first  volume  of  this  valuable  work  in  this  country,  is 
an  event  not  less  creditable  to  its  enterprising  publishers,  than  it  is  likely  to 
prove  lastingly  beneficial  to  the  public.  When  completed,  according  to  the 
model  presented  by  the  first  volume,  it  will  deserve  to  be  regarded  as  the  spirit 
of  all  the  best  Encyclopedias,  since  it  comprises  whatever  is  really  desirable 
and  necessary  in  them,  and  in  addition,  a  large  proportion  of  articles  entirely 
original,  or  expressly  written  for  its  pages.  This  is  the  condition  of  all  the 
articles  of  American  Biography,  by  Mr.  Walsh ;  those  on  Zoology,  by  Dr.  God- 
man  ;  and  those  on  Mineralogy  and  Chemistry,  by  a  gentleman  of  Boston, 
distinguished  for  his  successful  devotion  to  those  studies.  The  work  abounds 
with  interesting  and  useful  matter,  presented  in  a  condensed  and  perspicuous 
style ;  nor  is  it  one  of  its  least  commendations  that  it  is  to  be  comprised  in 
twelve  octavo  volumes,  which  may  be  placed  on  an  office  table,  or  occupy  a 
shelf  in  the  parlor,  over  ready  for  immediate  reference,  instead  of  requiring 
almost  a  room  to  itself,  like  its  ponderous  predecessors,  the  Britannica,  Edin- 
burgcnsis,  &c. 

The  vast  circulation  this  work  has  had  in  Europe,  Avhere  it  has  already  been 
reprinted  in  four  or  five  languages,  not  to  speak  of  the  numerous  German  edi- 
tions, of  which  seven  have~been  published,  speaks  loudly  in  favor  of  its  in- 
trinsic merit,  without  which  such  a  celebrity  could  never  have  been  attained. 
To  every  man  engaged  in  public  business,  who  needs  a  correct  and  ample  book 
of  reference  on  various  topics  of  science  and  letters,  the  Encyclopedia  Ameri- 
cana will  be  almost  invaluable.  To  individuals  obliged  to  go  to  situations 
where  books  are  neither  numerous  nor  easily  procured,  the  rich  contents  of 
these  twelve  volumes  will  prove  a  mine  which  will  amply  repay  its  purchaser, 
and  be  with  difficulty  exhausted,  and  we  recommend  it  to  their  patronage  in 
the  full  conviction  of  its  worth.  Indeed  it  is  difficult  to  say  to  what  class  of 
readers  such  a  book  would  not  prove  useful,  nay,  almost  indispensable,  since 
it  combines  a  great  amount  of  valuable  matter  in  small  compass,  and  at  mode- 
rate expense,  and  is  in  every  respect  well  suited  to  augment  the  reader's  stock 
of  ideas,  and  powers  of  conversation,  without  severely  taxing  time  or  fatiguing 
attention.  These,  at  least,  are  our  conclusions  after  a  close  and  candid  ex- 
amination of  the  first  volume. — Am.  Daily  Advertiser. 

We  have  seen  and  carefully  examined  the  first  volume  of  the  Encyclopedia 
Americana,  just  published  by  Carey,  Lea  and  Carey,  and  think  our  readers  may 
be  congratulated  upon  the  opportunity  of  making  such  a  valuable  accession  to 
their  libraries. — Aurora. 

The  department  of  American  Biography,  a  subject  of  which  it  should  be 
disgraceful  to  be  ignorant,  to  the  degree  that  many  are,  is,  in  this  work,  a 
prominent  feature,  and  has  received  the  attention  of  one  of  the  most  indefati- 
gable writers  in  this  department  of  literature,  which  the  present  age  can  fur- 
nish.— Boston  Courier. 

According  to  the  plan  of  Dr.  Lieber,  a  desideratum  will  be  supplied  ;  the  sub- 
stance of  contemporary  knowledge  will  be  brought  within  a  small  compass; — 
and  the  character  and  uses  of  a  manual  will  be  imparted  to  a  kind  of  publica 
tion  heretofore  reserved,  on  strong  shelves,  for  occasional  reference.  By  those 
who  understand  the  German  language,  the  Conversation  Lexicon  is  consulted 
ten  times  for  one  application  to  any  English  Encyclopedia. — National  Gaz. 

The  volume  now  published  is  not  only  highly  honorable  to  the  taste,  ability 
and  industry  of  its  editors  and  publishers,  but  furnishes  a  proud  sample  of  the 
accuracy  and  elegance,  with  which  the  most  elaborate  and  important  literary 
enterprises  may  now  be  accomplished  in  our  country.  Of  the  manner  in  which 
the  editors  have  thus  far  completed  their  task,  it  is  impossible,  in  the  course  of 
a  brief  newspaper  article,  to  speak  with  adequate  justice.— Boston  Bulletin. 

We  have  looked  at  the  contents,  generally,  of  the  second  volume  of  this 
work,  and  think  it  merits  the  encomiums  which  have  been  bestowed  on  it  in 
the  northern  papers.  It  continues  to  be  particularly  rich  in  the  departments 
of  Biography  and  Natural  History.  When  we  look  at  the  large  mass  of  mis- 
cellaneous knowledge  spread  bef  ire  the  reader,  in  a  form  which  has  never  been 
equalled  for  its  condensation,  and  conveyed  in  a  style  that  cannot  be  surpassed 
for  propriety  and  perspicuity,  we  cannot  but  think  that  the  American  Ency- 
clopedia deserves  a  place  in  every  collect  ion,  in  which  works  of  reference  form 
a  portion."— Southern  Patriot. 


■ 


I 


i 


< 


•A 


I 


J 


\ 


Pi 


V*^"^  ^  "^-r 


